IVY'S CELL
by Denim Jean
Summary: A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it? (rated M for future chapters)
1. Chapter 1: The Scar

**IVY'S CELL**

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Scar**

"You must be kidding me, Cell."

My feminine voice is completely serene and devoid of weakness, even though I'm standing in front of the most dreadful monster that has ever set foot in our planet: Perfect Cell. Since his first appearance and throughout all our daily lives, several cities have surrendered to his might and no one seems to be able to face him.

Wherever he goes, he leaves a trail of destruction, blood and loss.

Although he doesn't seem to _need_ anything or no one in particular like _at all_ due to his great power, he has just made **the most foolish proposal ever** – to _me_, a girl with ragged clothes who happened to live here, the city he has just now reduced to ruins and ashes with such an ease that it makes me shiver.

What are his limits? Does he know them?

Cell stares at me as I give him my answer, as I said, completely serene and devoid of weakness. He just chuckles at my answer. I must admit that my voice now sounds a bit magnified in this old, half-destroyed church, now devoid of both holiness and people – and I suddenly realize I'm now also devoid of strength and ideas… He is now staring at me intensely, standing in front of me on what had formerly been an altar, crushing a beautifully ornamented golden cross under his feet, as his eyes pierce mine in a lustful way I don't dare to describe with more precision.

"_I mean it_. You really can put up a fight… and I like that, **_Ivy_**."

His voice feels like liquid nitrogen in my ears, but the worst part is hearing my name on his lips.

"Tell me, Ivy. You _refuse_ my proposal. You don't seem to _fear_ me enough. How come you lack the fear others have?"

"Oh, I have experienced fear before, but only of those things which make me _truly_ worry. Having fear of other stuff is for weaklings. That's all."

I utter these words blatantly, as if I was unable to think twice (I am usually one of those who can't think twice about anything… What can I say? That's the way I am.) He laughs at my straightforwardness, but he seems amused by it.

"So _don't _I make you worry? After everything I bothered to do to your city?"

He seems _too_ amused, but realizing that I'm not at all, he stops smiling at me. I just fall silent as the breeze combs my long, black hair and it perfumes my whole body with the scent of ashes and burnt metal.

"_Why_ should I worry? There's nothing and no one left for me to worry about."

As I say this, he paces _painfully_ slowly towards me.

"Oh, _sure there is_. Let me give you a clue: its name has three letters and it starts with 'I'."

That's _me_, of course – but I'm not worried about me. In fact, I never am. I worried about my father, my mother, my friends, about what they needed or wanted,… but not for me. _Ever_. I never asked for much, but when I really wanted something, I always got it by my own means.

"Ivy, Ivy, _Ivy_… I haven't killed millions of people to witness this: _your indifference_."

"You don't make me indifferent. **I just don't fear you**."

"So… what do you feel?"

"_Bored_."

I say this with all my anger, although I don't mean it: in fact, I feel _extremely angry_, but not bored. That's why I started to fight him the minute my father died in my arms. I had just come home from university because my classes were over and then I witnessed the massacre at home… He told me he loved me and exhaled his last breath. I just couldn't care about anything else: I had to kill that monster – _or_ _he shall kill me_. I really do not care about the result. _Either way I shall have peace_.

He chuckles again. I think he has noticed what my true feelings actually are. He's not stupid and we both know. _He knows that I know_ he is not stupid at all…

"What should I do to make you fear me, to make you worry… _truly_?"

"A marriage proposal."

I smile tauntingly. He laughs hysterically, but when he finishes, he adds:

"No, _seriously_."

I don't answer. I just clench my fists. I just want to get it done – or get _me_ done.

"Don't waste your energy now." He says seriously as he comes closer to me, realizing I'm not interested in this chit chat. "Tomorrow I'll announce life on TV that I will hold a tournament in a week's time. I won't destroy any other city or kill anyone until I have what I want: _a decent opponent_. I repeat my proposal to you: I want you to take part in the Cell Games. Think about it carefully. You seem to be one of the best so far, so save your strength, Ivy. You'll need it next week."

"I don't care about your stupid games."

"I _expect_ to see you in seven days, Ivy. Train. Get stronger. For me." He says using a husky voice as he comes even closer. I don't make a single step back.

"I don't care about your _expectations_ on me. You're a spoiled little brat."

"You know what? Actually I don't _expect_ you to be there. _I COMMAND YOU TO BE THERE._" He exclaims as he decides to reduce the small distance between us to zero. Then, he cups my chin into his right hand with violence. I see my own eyes in the reflection of his._ "_I want you to come, like it or not. If you don't come, I'll look for you and kill you. And believe me _I'll relish in your suffering_, Ivy."

His lips are scarcely at a two inches' distance from mine. I suddenly get _really_ nervous.

"You'll kill me anyways. So why should _you_ bother? Why should _I_ bother?" I say as I get rid of his hold on my chin, violently turning my head to my right.

He seems to think closely about my last two questions, but his never-fading cold smile is engraved on his face and I hate it, as I hate the bruises he's caused on my skin, I hate the way he's destroyed my city and murdered everyone, I hate that he's so well-built, tall and strong; … **I hate him so fucking much!**

"_Nice scar, the one you have at the left side of your nape_…" He whispers with a husky voice, noticing the strange birthmark on my nape. "Now seriously… That's a good one, Ivy… But I just got _bored_ of all this massive and aimless killing. **I just want to have fun**." He whispers to me.

Good God! _He just wants to have fun_! Unfortunately for him, he's not familiar with Cyndi Lauper's song. If he was, he'd know how to really have fun. _Go to pubs, dance, listen to music, make friends, or get a hobby, you moron_!

"There's other ways to have fun, you know." I whisper back.

For a couple of seconds, he just raises an eyebrow at me with some degree of curiosity. Yeah, you, the Perfect _Imbecile_, have no idea what life is about, but I do. Then, he seems to think of other options to have fun and enjoy life and he finally chuckles.

Oh, great. I'm giving him _new_ ideas… on the horney side of fun. Why do I say such embarrassing stuff all the time?

"Yeah, right." He whispers back to me.

God, why doesn't he just shut up? I want to answer back, but in a nanosecond, he's gone.

He's flown away from me.

_Damn it!_

* * *

Now I'm alone. It'll be Christmas in a week. I think it'll snow in a couple of hours or so…

Devastation is like a poem: beautiful when it's written on a sheet of paper – but dreadful when you have to go through it.

I feel so guilty about it all. Bad. I guess it's the survivor's guilt. Why me? Anyway…. It's not as though I could've done something to stop him or kill him. I'm not going to pretend I'm a hero – I'm _not even remotely_ what people say 'a good girl'. No, Sir.

The night before this small local Armageddon broke out, I was in this awesome party in a trendy club with my friends from college. We had a private room for us. It was huge. We danced techno and dance music all the time, non-stop. I must admit we had been drinking what my father would consider 'too much', although Amy Winehouse or Whitney Houston may have disagreed. On the next morning, we had class, but none of my friends cared. Neither did I, to be sure.

I brought my electric guitar over and played some Bon Jovi's, Green Day's, Maroon 5's, Coldplay's songs and any other song my friends asked for. We sang wildly. We know how to let it go. _I think I even kissed Paul on the lips_… Our parties were always wild and reckless. If we had been wearing clothes from the 20's, those would've been like Mr. Jay Gatsby's parties. And yes, I wish I could go back in time, but I'm not a fool like Mr. Gatsby himself. I know I cannot go back in time.

_God_, I love clubs, music, alcohol and boys. What did I say about Cyndi Lauper about having fun? _Yeah, right_.

We just kept on drinking _as if there was no tomorrow_. Unfortunately, we didn't know eventually there _wouldn't_.

Now they're all dead. Except me. No matter how hard I try to look for survivors, I can't find anyone _alive_. There are corpses all over the place. I should probably leave town before diseases spread. All of a sudden, I feel as if I'm Milla Jovovich in a Resident Evil movie… and it makes me sick.

I know I'm quite strong and fast like 'Alice' (I trained hard to be a good athlete and I was able to do lots of pushups with ease; I even had a trainer and got into some competitions and won. I even tried snowboarding and got a couple of gold meals and everything…) But I guess I'm _too shallow_ sometimes. I _quit_ a few months ago. I made my parents angry, but I wasn't feeling motivated enough. I'm sorry. Everybody was trying to make me regret leaving, but I never answered back. I never apologized for doing what I did. I just quit because I wanted to. That's all.

Now I can't take it back, not even if I want to. I don't regret my past actions, but I find myself crying as I lean on a wall in front of a grocery store on fire. I used to come here when I was little… and _not_ so little.

There's a lovely candy floss machine burning vividly like the sun at sunset. I stare at it as the wind carries its sweet burnt scent all through the empty city center.

_Ironically, devastation had never been so sweet._

* * *

I decide I have to be strong and face the future.

The weight of the world won't crush me. I swear I'll thrive. I'm not afraid. This is not 'The Hunger Games', although I expect survival to be harsh.

I build my own new provisional home in a nearby forest. I gather fuel and other stuff I might need for survival. Food. Medicines. Blankets. A pillow (because I can't sleep without one). My acoustic guitar – I'm sorry, _I can't survive without music_.

At night, I make a bonfire and I eat marshmallows.

_Cell is mad if he thinks I'm gonna waste my time training._

**6 days to go.**

* * *

I need to find people. That's why I have set out on this little journey, this non-ambitious reconnaissance mission. I'm looking for survivors in the nearby cities and towns. Let's see _what or who_ I can find.

A couple of hours later, I meet a guy called Akira. _God, he's gorgeous_… Even though I shouldn't be thinking about this, I can't help it. Realizing he's not the only survivor, he welcomes me and we become friends instantly. I feel suddenly relieved somehow.

**5 days to go.**

* * *

I'm preparing lunch for Akira and me while he's gathering more fuel. I see him coming back from the woods and I smile at him.

"_What the hell are you doing_?!" Cell suddenly yells at me.

Cell says he's followed what he calls my 'ki' because he has been checking on me, whether I was training or not. Realizing I'm not, he's come for me. I freak out.

_How the hell does he know what I'm actually doing?! What the hell is this 'ki' thing exactly?!_

Anyway, he drops the subject. He talks about some other guys who have tried to kill him but couldn't. They will apparently take part in the Cell Games too. He threatens me again and leaves.

Akira – who has been hiding all this time – freaks out. He's paralyzed. _No wonder_!

He yells and gets extremely angry at me. He says he doesn't want to stay close to me if that monster has a special interest in me. He calls me names and worse stuff. I can't believe my ears. He leaves me in a hurry. I feel like a _parasite_.

**4 days to go.**

* * *

I try to get over Akira's words, but it's too hard. Thus, I go to a forgotten spa and try to chill out. As I take my clothes off and bathe, I get both depressed and stressed at the same time, no matter how hard I try to relax.

I feel like killing myself. What did I say about thriving? _Yeah, right_. It's getting harder than I expected. I'm sorry, but survival is no _pop song._

Cell will kill me _anyways_. **I think I should enjoy what's left of my time on Earth**. I should get _stoned_ like never before. I definitely don't want to be _sober_ the next time I see Cell…

So I hit the road until I find a forgotten bar. I hide myself under the counter and start to do my self-assigned 'homework'. I put some music on to help me get going: the former owner had a dance mash-up CD which I enjoy very much. It starts with Dragonette's _Let it Go_. I dance this song on the counter with a bottle in my left hand, drinking from it non-stop. Other songs fade in and out and I can't stop the rhythm in my body. I just wish I had someone to dance with…

_I might be delusional right now, but that's better than anything._

**3 days to go.**

* * *

I wake up and I realize I fell asleep behind the counter. I have a massive headache. What a terrible hangover… and _hunger_! _God_, I'm starving.

Out of the blue, I hear some noises outside. I blocked the door yesterday, but somehow someone is successfully trying to break in. I peep from a hole in a window. It's a group of 7 or 8 men who seem extremely dangerous. They've got scars on their faces, arms, body,… tattoos and piercings everywhere and the concepts of hygiene and shaving must be absolutely unknown to them. I keep my mouth shut, get a bottle of whiskey and flee through the back door. Luckily, they don't even notice I've been there. I hit the road again.

_God, the daylight is killing my brain cells_! Then, a figure descends from the sky. Oh, no… Cell? _Again_?! No _fucking_ way!

Oh, wait. It's _not_ him. It's a short bald guy without a nose who seems to be quite friendly. His name is Krillin. We chat for a while. I discover he's one of those guys who have tried to kill Cell before, the very same who will be taking part in the Cell Games. We become friends almost instantly when I tell him my story.

He tells me he had suspected something about me (that's why he's searched for me, for my 'ki' and come to me – oh, dear me, this 'ki' must me really important and I'm absolutely clueless about it!), because they had been tracking Cell's steps and they realized he had been close to an Earthling 'ki', _mine_, for too long… _Suspicious_. Krillin thought that maybe I was also a great fighter like them, so he makes the following proposal to me: fight Cell together.

**I tell him I'm no fighter at all.** I trained to be an athlete and I happened not to be in town when the massacre took place. That's why I faced him.

"When I came back home, I tried to fight him 'cos I was angry… Then he went away after suggesting I should take part in his stupid games and I managed to survive from then on, somehow. _But I'm not a fighter_. I've never fought in my entire life until I met him." I say.

Krillin didn't expect this answer from me and I get his sudden _disappointment_. Yes, that expression on his face is quite familiar to me: like my trainer's face when I told him I wanted to quit.

Anyways, he tells me to come with him, but I refuse. I don't want to be alone, but Cell is after me. I don't want to cause him any trouble. I tell him so. He doesn't seem to care – _unlike_ Akira. So unlike him… I refuse anyways. I prefer Cell to find me soon and get this over with. Krillin frowns and sighs. He seems to give up on me.

"Whatever you need, I can feel your 'ki', so I can come and help you whenever you need it. _Just call me_." He gently tells me as if he was Prince Charming.

"Call you?"

"Yes,…" He smiles at me and I freeze when I realize how much I had been missing this. He's got one of the warmest smiles I've ever seen. "… just yell and I'll be here for you. _Anything_… just let me know. _Nice to meet you, by the way_. I really hope Cell doesn't kill you. We will take care of him. Don't worry."

Then, he flies away from me. He's gone and I'm still blushing. I'm such a stupid foolish girl… Maybe I should've gone with him. Now I'm alone again.

I miss my parents, my friends, my trainer, Paul… I probably should go on drinking some more. I _should_ reach the level of acute alcohol poisoning in my blood, because there's only…

**… 2 days left to go.**

* * *

I decide to take residence in a forgotten mall. _God_, there's absolutely _anything_ here! Literally. So I start to look for more whiskey and other stuff to drink.

Unfortunately for the mall, I'm in the **bride's dressing area** and I get the wild idea to get dressed like one. I guess I'll _never_ marry now, so why not trying some dresses on? _I feel soooo naughty right now!_ But I really enjoy the feeling of getting rid of my old ragged clothes.

Cell might be losing his patience, because I'm not training and he knows what I'm doing or not (somehow, due to my _stupid_ 'ki'). But I couldn't care less. I'm almost finishing off my old bottle of whiskey. _A stoned bride. Very good…_

I'll need some more alcohol in the next few minutes, unless Cell is charitable enough to kill me now. I chuckle at this thought of mine.

Then, he suddenly descends from the sky, I see him through a huge window as he does so and then he breaks the wall and the window in front of him and lands in front of me.

"_Speaking of the devil_…" I say with a huge grin on my face.

"_Ivy_, stop arsing about." He says seriously.

"I'm not arsing about. _I'm having fun_." I say amused. That's the alcohol speaking.

"I'm going to take this foolish grin of your face, Ivy. You didn't fulfill my command." He's getting angry.

"I don't care."

"Are you _suicidal_?" He raises an eyebrow at me due to my foolish behavior today. I notice his eyes obsessively roaming on my body, on my sexy bride dress.

"_God_, yes, of course!"

"Isn't that supposed to be _negative_? Why are you laughing?"

"'Cos I'mmmm… _stoned_."

"Stoned?" He doesn't seem to believe it, although it's obvious.

"Hmmm…" I say meaning 'yes, I am'.

"Let me guess: you were starting to worry _truly_ about me, so before you started to feel fear you decided to get drunk." He says proudly.

"_Oh, clever boy_…" I sing joyfully.

"Come with me. _Now_." He says authoritatively.

"Nooo… _Not yeeeet_. There's still **1 day left to goooo**, remember?" I say as if I was chiding a little kid, not a monster.

"_I don't care_. Just come." He repeats.

I don't care to listen anymore. I turn the music on and dance as if I was on a fancy catwalk and break things and use mannequins as dancing partners every now and then. I ignore Cell and I know this is pissing him off…

After a few seconds, he understands that I'm not playing his game, that I have a game of my own called _'delirium'_, and he doesn't like it. So he comes closer to me, and he stops me by firmly holding my waist with one hand and my nape with the other.

I gasp. I didn't see this one coming.

_Should I call Krillin?_

No, no, no, he'd get killed for nothing and I don't want that. _I don't need a savior_. No one can save me from this monster anyways, so…

"I said _'come'_." He growls at me. "You're coming with me. Now."

"What for?" I whisper with pride and self-assertion.

"**_Something's changed_**." He says seriously, but also a bit _worried_. But I couldn't care less. I'm kind of _numb_ right now. I just feel the stiffness caused by alcohol in my arms and legs like a heavy burden as he speaks, but he's holding me so tight that I know I won't fall – _although I'd definitely prefer that_. "That's all."

Having said this, he takes off to the skies with me in his arms.

* * *

Cell is an asshole, but he's also the _perfect host_ _of a white marble castle_.

Although the palace is huge and precious, he's built it _himself for himself_. He's got good taste… It's beyond amazing. I must admit it.

He locks me up in a luxurious bedroom fully decorated in red and black. He commands me to sleep and relax for tomorrow. I complain, but he's gone before I can even utter a single word.

I sigh. I can't fight back like the hero I'd like to be, as usual. This is **my cell**, then… So be it.

There's food in a disproportionate amount on a large table. The bathroom looks like a 5-star-hotel bathroom. There is a _Jacuzzi_ even! There is a huge wardrobe with sexy girl's clothes – _I can't believe my eyes_! _What the hell is he thinking about_?! I freeze as I mentally admit that he's making me feel like a Moulin Rouge girl. Did he get this from what I said to him about having _fun_? _Oh, God… please don't do this to me!_

Cell has said that something had _changed_. I wonder what that might be and whether it may have something to do with all this stuff.

Before I even notice, I let myself fall on the bed and fall asleep.

**One day to go.**

* * *

When I wake up, it's nighttime already. I think I have been sleeping all day long.

The hangover is long gone, I'm 100% sober and I'm starting to _worry_ _truly _– and to have fear of what might happen to me now that I'm locked in here (yes, I tried all doors and windows, but I'm not lucky today: all are closed and breaking the window's glass would be futile, since there are huge thick bars on the outside).

I'm looking for more _booze_ on the cupboards and on the table, but there's only water. _Crap_.

I suddenly remember it's Christmas… Yes, a week has gone by and Cell has caught me. And he killed my family and now I'm not spending Christmas with them right now. I feel blue…

I'm even starting to feel ashamed of wearing a bride's dress, so I decide to get a change of clothes at least. But my current goal is _sabotaged_: every single item of clothing that I can find is too sexy to my liking. Oh, yes, I had completely forgotten about the huge amount of sexy dresses Cell has put in here… Is he _really_ expecting me to take part in the Cell Games in a silk dress? Something's clearly wrong here… _and I haven't got a clue about it_.

Anyway, I sigh and randomly pick a blue dress and black ballerinas.

_I hope he doesn't like it._

* * *

I don't have to wait for long to know, in fact. After a few minutes, Cell unlocks my door and comes in.

"I need to have a word with you, Ivy." He says as serious as if he were Fate himself.

"Well, I _don't_ want to." I say with pride.

"How are you feeling? Are you back to normal?"

"No, I'm not back to _normal_." I say with badly repressed anger. "You still _exist_. You destroyed everything. I can't go back to normal! _Even better_: if you had died before you were born, that would've been fine for me."

"_Good_, you're back to normal now." He says with a grin on his face, satisfied.

"So, what the hell do you want from me?" I say defiantly.

"I though you didn't want to hear me talking."

"Cut the crap."

"OK," He raises an eyebrow at me, but goes on. "I have news for you: you're _not_ taking part in the Cell Games."

"_Oh, great_. That's why you wanted me to be here for? For _not_ taking part in it?! _You're mad_!"

"Let me finish, _Ivy_. You're not taking part in the Cell Games _because you belong with me_."

"_What_?!" I exclaim as if couldn't believe my ears. Now this _'belonging'_ thing he's just said makes me freak out in a way I can't even describe.

"I suppose you don't know the truth."

"_What… are… you… talking… about_?" I whisper to him.

He comes a bit closer to me and sighs as if he doesn't want to lay bad news on me. This is freaking me out even more. Why does he act so politely now? Who does he think he is? He's not a gentleman, for Christ sake! He's not even a _man_…! What's _so important_ and dreadful about this piece of news that require such a behavior from him?

"Had your parents ever told you that you had been adopted? That you are 'special'?"

"No, they… - _I'm not adopted_!" I yell with anger.

"Yes, you are." He answers back gently. "Your true –let's say– 'father' is the same as… **_mine_**."

I laugh hysterically at this idea. He's obviously making this up.

"It's true." He goes on with the same tone of voice. "I was created by doctor Gero. It's all in the doctor's journals. _My_ creation. _Your_ creation. Here. Have a look." He throws some handwritten notebooks with leather bindings on my bed, right by my side. "I've been reading them for the last few days now. They talk about a female biological android-child who one day escaped from the lab. She was only a three-year-old little creature who resembled any other regular human creature, but was capable of a lot more strength and speed. I've seen your strength and speed myself and you _definitely_ suit the doctor's description."

"That doesn't prove _anything_…" I say with insolence and cheek, and a grin on my face.

He throws a small envelope on top of the notebooks.

"I was able to find _this_ in your local town hall."

I open it straightaway. It's an adoption file _with my name on it_. I open it. And it says that I was…

"… Found in the forest, walking on her own." Cell seems to have read this important paragraph so many times that he's reciting it to me from memory. "Unable to talk about her identity, unable to talk at all." He makes a crucial pause. "Physical exam, correct. Just a strange, tiny, one-inch scar on the _left side of her nape_… Photograph included."

I look straight at the photo enclosed to the file. I freeze. I'm unable to say anything.

"_Merry Christmas_, Ivy." He says as he leaves me alone and locks the door again.

* * *

**Hi there!**

**I'm ****_Denim Jean_**** and this is my new DGZ story. I hope you like it!**

**Do you think Ivy will be able to handle the truth? Will she manage to escape from her cell? Will she meet Krillin or Akira again? Will she eventually take part in the Cell Games or not?**

**Be patient, your answers will see the light soon enough…**

**Read and review! ;)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


	2. Chapter 2: The Game

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on ****_IVY'S CELL.._**

"… Found in the forest, walking on her own." Cell seems to have read this important paragraph so many times that he's reciting it to me from memory. "Unable to talk about her identity, unable to talk at all." He makes a crucial pause. "Physical exam, correct. Just a strange, tiny, one-inch scar on the _left side of her nape_… Photograph included."

I look straight at the photo enclosed to the file. I freeze. I'm unable to say anything.

"_Merry Christmas_, Ivy." He says as he leaves me alone and locks the door again.

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Game**

My peculiar scar appears on that dear old photograph and I freeze as if time had ceased to exist all of a sudden. But I don't remember anything of it! I silently panic and start to conjure up excuses like this, as if I really needed to find a reason, a culprit of a crime, someone or something to blame.

Cell has left my cell a few minutes, hours, days ago. Who cares? I've lost track of time, but I must admit that time does not really matter anymore to me. I'm not hungry. I'm not thirsty. I'm not sleepy. I am **_not_**.

I'm getting depressed. _Really depressed_.

It has been proved to me that I was adopted, but that's not really what bothers me. What really makes me sick is the fact that I'm _artificial_, an _android_; though biological, I'm still a kind of _'sister'_ to Cell because a mad scientist created us both some years ago. This some sort of pathetic new version of Victor Frankenstein wanted to play with the creation of life and never thought of the consequences. I'm the outcome of this black art…

After Cell locked the door again and left me alone with my revolting thoughts, my mind began to spin so fast that I couldn't even dare to touch those journals and check all the doctor's notes myself. I had to kneel to the floor because my legs wouldn't carry my weight anymore. Then, I suddenly felt like throwing up, my stomach was burning and I managed to hurry to the toilet. I made it in time, but maybe it's out of the habit. You know, I'm quite used to drinking too much and throwing up later, so ironically I've got lots of practice.

As I'm trying to pull myself together after throwing up, I begin to wonder about all this stuff, about Cell and all. What doesn't really fit in the whole picture is the fact that I don't get to take part in his stupid Games. Does this mean that he _cares_ for me because we have been created by the same fool, a stupid doctor who decided to try to emulate God in a dark, cold laboratory? It's the only explanation which might make sense right now and yet it doesn't seem to be enough… for _me_, that is.

As far as I'm concerned, what Cell _is_ has not changed: he's still the mindless killer who killed _my_… _my_… - I can't say it… - _all the people I loved _– and I hate him. _I'd love to kill him!_ He knows that… And he just loves being _the one and only_, the Perfect… _Son of a Bitch!_

Why should he change his point of view as regards me then? He does not need any company at all…

I bet I'm still just a poor little thing that can easily be killed by him… Being some sort of android doesn't make me indestructible, to be sure. In spite of this, I frowns and recall the look in his eyes and the way he spoke to me, which was completely different, _as if I made sense to exist for him_.

The mere thought causes _nausea_ in me.

This whole new picture is killing me. **I don't want to be me**.

* * *

Before I can even decide where I psychologically stand, I suddenly hear yelling outside the marble palace.

I stand up and open a window. It's midday outside. That makes me wonder how long I have been numb, thinking about my personal drama… I look outside between the cold metallic bars as I feel the gentle late December breeze caressing my skin, softly and delicately, as if it were a soothing mother. The sun is shining very brightly and the air is mildly warm, to be honest.

It's quite odd bearing in mind it's winter. Has Cell caused such damage to Earth that now even the weather conditions are changing? I sigh. I don't know.

I stare down below. I sigh aimlessly and I suddenly realize where that yelling is coming from: the Cell Games arena. It wasn't there the last time I looked through the window, which was only _yesterday._ The Cell Games arena is a huge stage entirely made of white marble, with four huge cone-shaped pillars on its four corners. It's really stylish and I kind of like it - before I realize my dear old _brother_ has built it. I think I'm getting sick again…

_But… have the games started yet?!_ Cell is there, in the center of the stage. Then, I see a group of 8 people or so, I think, -they're too far away- and another less populated group of 6 people. I can't see their faces properly, specially the larger group. They're too far away from my window. I curse my bad luck…

What I really do spot is a camera, the cameraman who is holding it and a TV news presenter, but the yelling does not seem to come from them, but from the guys they're interviewing at the moment: a fatso and a blond young man.

I get nervous because I'm trying to spot _Krillin_. He said he'd be here with his friends! I assume he's in the larger group, far away from where I am, but there's no way I can't spot him. I wonder if I should call him now… Maybe he should know what I am. I need to tell him the truth. He seemed nice… So polite… He's such a gentleman… I think he's… I sigh. He _deserves_ to know the truth, even though he may kill me when he knows. _Would he do that to me?_

_Anyway, he'd probably do me the favor. I'd rather be killed by him than by Cell._

Hesitation is killing me already, but I do call him eventually. He said I should yell or something… I hope it works because I don't really trust this 'ki' thing.

I concentrate, I say his name… when I see it doesn't work, I yell his name, once, twice, thrice,… I get extremely nervous, I hyperventilate, I jump, I punch the wall, I yell again, I hit my forehead against the bloody wall and I eventually kneel down and cry. Why the hell am I crying for? I've never felt the need to cry and yet I feel so desperate that I just can't help it now.

Out of the blue, Krillin appears on the outside of my window and greets me.

"What are you doing here, Ivy?! I thought you didn't want to come to the Cell Games!" He says amazed to find me here. He stops and stares at my gorgeous body in this stupid blue silk dress. He blushes. Then he realizes I'm crying. "Don't worry. I'll get you out of here."

He bends the iron bars, sets his feet on the window lattice and offers me a hand to fly off with him.

"Come on. Let's go." He says gently.

I stand up and I feel the need to tell him everything straightaway.

"It's not what you think." I whisper.

"You're crying. I think it's what I think." He whispers back at me without really wanting to argue with me.

"Not this…" I say as I wipe tears from both my eyes away. "It's about me being here. Something dreadful has happened since the last time we saw each other."

"What has happened?" He seems truly worried.

"I…" I hesitate. _Will he kill me?_

"Look, you can tell me later. First, let's get out of here. If Cell realizes I'm gone, he may look for me and if he spots me here… Let's not take chances, shall we?"

I nod, but I know I still have to tell him the truth. And I know he will hate me so fucking much… But I take his hand and he holds me protectively as he releases me from the cell that Cell had carefully designed for me.

* * *

We take off into the skies… The air is quite warm and it gently combs my hair.

Krillin takes me far away from the palace and the arena. I don't have to tell him that I don't want to be spotted, that I want to run free. There is a nice, green valley not very far away from where we were and we land in a corner of a wheat field. It really looks like one of those in a Vincent van Gogh's landscapes which I used to love so much.

"Krillin, I'm sorry to lay this on you, but there's something you need to know." I bite my lower lip and he frowns.

"What has happened to you? Is it related to you being locked up in Cell's palace?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

"Look, if he… _touched_… you, I don't really need to know that. I…" He blushes wildly. He thinks Cell may have raped me or something.

"No, Cell has not touched me the way you think." I say seriously, but calmly. I feel sad. He seems to calm down and lets me proceed, completely unaware of the hellish picture that I'm going to portray to him. "But he has unveiled the truth about… well,_ me_."

"What do you mean?" He raises an eyebrow at me.

"I didn't know I was adopted. It seems that I was found in a forest and bearing a strange scar on my neck." As I say so, I show him my mark. "My parents adopted me… What's so special about it is that… it _proves_ that I'm…" I find it hard to continue. I swallow hard and close my eyes. "A weird stupid doctor called Gero tried to emulate God by creating artificial life and I'm one of his creations, an android, it seems. The scar proves it. It's taken down in his own personal journals and in the town hall's adoption files. There. I said it."

I sigh. Krillin has frozen.

"Who has told you that? Have you discovered it yourself?" He whispers.

"No, I was hiding from Cell in a mall and he came for me. He behaved _differently_ to me… He was _kinder_… He got me and took me here. He locked me up and later he told me all about it."

I bite my lower lip again. I can't meet Krillin's eyes. I fear to see hate in them. I hear him cough a bit and then…

"He has not raped you… _yet_. Good, but I fear he _will_ if he finds you again." He says seriously.

I freeze. What does he mean? I raise my head immediately in amazement.

"You don't get it, don't you?" He says as I meet his eyes in bewilderment. "You're absolutely unable to grasp that now **you're the best match for him**. You told me you're strong, an athlete, that Cell got interested in you even though you didn't know how to fight properly. He didn't even know you were an android like him back then… so he just wanted you to fight him, Perfect Cell. But he has discovered your true nature now and… he knows that he _cannot_ reproduce himself _properly_ if he can't find the _perfect_ partner, as _perfect_ as possible: and that's _you_, obviously."

I think I'm gonna throw up… again.

"_Me?!_" I say literally yelling my stomach out of my body. "Having babies with that _monster_?! _Not bloody likely!_"

I kneel down. I put my hands on my head and I moan and shiver. I'm having the first really serious nervous breakdown of my entire life.

"_Kill me_." I say hiding my entire face behind my hands. I'm breathing unevenly.

"What?!" Krillin asks me bewildered.

"I'm a monster like him. He'll look for me to make me give birth to more monsters like him. I hate him. I won't stand it. _Please, do me a favor and kill me_." I whisper and sob.

"I won't do that, Ivy. You're…"

"_I'm awful! I'm artificial!_ **_I should've never come to life!_**" I yell so hopelessly that my voice cracks and I fall down to my knees.

"You're good, Ivy." Krillin kneels down beside me and hugs me tenderly, but I feel my entire body refusing such gentle treatment.

_I hate myself._

"You're a good person, Ivy. I haven't known you for long, but I'm convinced about it." He gently tells me. I don't deserve his kindness… "You cannot let this break you down. Go, run, hide… I hope the guys and me can kill Cell today."

"What if you don't?" I whisper at him.

"Just make sure he can't find you. Promise me that. If you keep very calm and do not move very much, your 'ki' will be so small that maybe Cell won't be able to detect it."

After a few seconds in silence, I sob. He insists on the promise and I nod.

"I have to come back to the arena. Or else he may get suspicious." He whispers soothingly.

"OK…" I whisper and then he kisses my forehead.

"I wish we had had more time to know each other, Ivy. I really like you."

Then, he flies away and leaves me alone. Again.

* * *

I can hear a group of bees humming not very far away… This music is able to relax me.

The promise I've just made… I try to hide as Krillin has told me. If we're lucky, it'll only be for a short amount of time, since I _really_ expect them to kill Cell.

If only I could see what's going on! Then I remember I had seen the cameraman and the TV news presenter. Before I get too excited about this idea (I must remember that my 'ki' can rise if I make physical efforts or I get excited about something), I calm down. Later, I manage to get a TV set from a forsaken small farmhouse and make it work.

A ten-year-old kid is fighting against Cell at the moment. I watch the fight for some hours until the image goes off due to technical difficulties. I guess the fight with Cell is too much for any technological device. I sigh.

I need to know. I can't stand the lack of information. Should I go and peep?

* * *

I'm still in the small farmhouse, trying to get something to eat. Then, I hear a huge explosion and the earth shakes as if there was an earthquake. I fall to the ground, together with all the pots, pans, cutlery items, glasses, everything in this small kitchen. I decide it's time to hide as I promised to Krillin: I need to really keep my 'ki' as low and small as possible by staying quiet and calm. I really hope this works.

I hide in a cave behind a waterfall in some nearby woods.

* * *

I hear no more explosions. Nothing. I can't even hear any animal in my surroundings, which is very odd.

I wait for an indeterminate number of hours. I don't have time to get bored: I'm getting _hysterical_ instead, although I know it's not good for my 'ki' level. I try to keep calm in the best way that I can. I try to recite poetry from memory or childhood songs, riddles, anything. I just move my lips and don't make a sound. I can find some comfort in this activity…

I really feel as if I was a Jew living in the Nazi regime. I know that their conditions were much worse, but still the panic, the long hours in the dark, hiding, starving, everything. A few years ago, when I was barely 16 years old, I read _Maus_ by Art Spiegelman and I just couldn't stop crying… and reading. I felt as if I was _possessed_. I had to go on reading. I had to know. I had to feel it. I couldn't stop… Knowing that all those war stories were _real_ made me shiver to an unbearable extent – and I was _not_ experiencing this first hand at the time. Can you imagine how those people felt back then?

As Kurt in Heart of Darkness might probably put it, "The Horror."

I keep my mind busy by remembering these stories and more. I keep rambling in this woods of thoughts in the darkness of my mind until I fall asleep, exhausted.

* * *

After some hours, I get awaken by the sound of yelling from outside. I hear people screaming and running for their lives.

_Oh, oh…_

I think I know what this means: Cell is alive… and Krillin and the guys were unsuccessful. When I realize that Cell has killed them all, I cry bitterly and silently curse him.

I just hope Cell can't find me in here.

As I'm thinking this, suddenly I hear footsteps which come closer and closer to where I am hiding. Is it Cell? Has he discovered my hiding place already?! Oh, no! God, please, no!

Out of the blue, Akira comes in.

"What?! Akira?!" I exclaim bewildered.

"Megan?!" He yells back at me in horror.

"Oh, no! No! No… Don't you dare look at me like _that_!" I answer proudly. I still hate him for insulting me and leaving me a few days ago. "I have nothing to do with Cell! I'm not a monst-…!"

I shut up all of a sudden because I know I cannot say I am not a monster, although Akira doesn't know the truth. In spite of this, I'm definitely not gonna tell him my story, of course. He's a bad ass and I hate him to the core.

"He was following you! He wanted you to fight in the Cell Games!" Akira says desperately, as if he was out of his mind, pointing his forefinger at me. "_And did you go_ _eventually_?..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Did you?... Oh, no… Of course you _didn't!_" He says like a madman. "I've seen it all on TV. Some very brave guys went there and tried to beat him down, but _you_ weren't there,… you _coward_!"

"I'm not a coward! I'm…! Why do you care?! _Why didn't you go yourself_?!"

"Cell was interested in _you_! He said you're great fighting! _Why didn't you go_?!"

"Because I was trap-…!" I make a pause. I don't need to apologise or give an explanation to anyone about what I do or I _don't_ do. "Do you really think you _deserve_ to know?! Go away from here! This is _my_ hiding spot! Go somewhere else! I don't wanna see you again, you _dickhead_!"

"_Fine_. It's just fine. Anyway, I really don't wanna spend the last few days of my existence close to a _bitch_ like you…"

He leaves. I frown and don't yell back at him.

Then I realize I haven't kept calm for these last few minutes and I get scared that maybe Cell has detected me. I get a really cold sweat on my entire body. I decide to move and go find another hiding spot, keep calm there and try to go unnoticed by the whole world again. So I stand up and try to breathe evenly to get calmer.

As I'm thinking and doing all this, Akira comes back into the cave. He looks really pale.

He stammers and I cannot understand anything he's trying to say.

"Akira, what the hell are you doing here? I told you to go away. I hate you."

"Yes, I know that, sweetheart…"

_Oh-oh_… I recognize this _cold voice_ cutting the insides of my ears. It's not Akira's, but Cell's.

"Akira has just told me himself…" Cell says playfully as he enters the cave, following Akira's steps. "And thanks to him, I have finally found you."

I swallow hard and get as pale as Akira.

* * *

Akira throws up a lot of blood as he stares at me.

Cell has just wounded Akira very badly in front of me. I don't he's gonna make it. Cell lets him fall down onto the floor. When his body falls on the floor, it makes a dead noise that seems almost prophetical. He's not dead yet, but he will soon be. I think he's unconscious right now.

"Ivy, **what game are you playing with me**?" Cell says playfully to me, but angry.

Akira's blood is generously spilled onto the ground of the cave. I take a step back, but then I notice the rocky wall right behind me and I know I can't escape any further.

"I know he had bothered you. So he's better off dead." Cell says triumphantly. He really thinks he's some sort of knight in a shiny armour or something. _Disgusting_. "But he helped me find you… He has made your 'ki' rise for a _few precious seconds _and he's led me to you. But, you see, I don't want any witness of my interest in you…"

"You didn't have to kill him for that. You usually don't have a reason at all." I say blatantly.

"True. Especially now that I've won the Cell Games. Now I can destroy as much as I want. I know there's no one on this planet that can beat me."

I swallow hard.

"When I have gone back to the palace to see you and to tell you the news, you were no longer there." He tells me, quite calmly, no undertone at all, to my surprise. He seems to speak in earnest. "I was worried about you… I had sent a huge blast during the Games and for a few minutes I… was convinced that I might have _accidentally_ killed you with it, because I was able to wipe out thousands or acres with this one single shot. I thought that maybe you decided to hide there after escaping… And I could not feel your 'ki' anywhere… I really thought you were _dead_…" He falls silent and stares at me in a way I had never seen before. _Oh-oh_… I'm starting to fear that Krillin was so bloody right about… _that._

"Well, I am not." I just say because I have no idea what to answer right now.

"How did you manage to escape?"

_Oops…_

I bite my lower lip.

"Ivy…" He insists with a very serious and dark tone of voice, like before. He pierces my eyes with his powerful stare. He comes closer to me and whispers: "Don't make me repeat myself."

"I… I hate you." I eventually whisper to him.

He comes closer and closer, until he's standing right in front of me. I swallow hard again.

He cups my chin into his hand quite gently. That strikes me as odd. If he really wants me to be his partner and bear his offspring, he does not need to be careful with me. He could just rape me. That's what I expected (_and I assume he doesn't know that I know his true intentions_), but instead…

I would've never expected _this_ to happen. He leans on me and whispers right into my ears:

"I _lust_ after you so much that… _I can't live without you_."

"_I knew you were a bitch_…" Akira whispers with a broken voice, trying to mock me.

So he's not unconscious after all… and still _alive_!

"Don't you dare say that again." Cell says with an icy voice. His eyes become deep red in a nanosecond. He creates a light blast and shoots Akira dead immediately. Tiny drops of blood hit my legs and ballerinas.

I gasp of horror and automatically cover my mouth with both my hands. Cell looks back at Akira for a second and then back at me. He's got something in his mind.

"Has he ever touched you?" He says serious as death.

"… No. Never." I whisper.

"Good. Because you're _mine_."

* * *

Cell has taken me back to my cell.

He locks me in and I don't oppose any resistance. I haven't got over the shock of Akira's death and Cell's words.

I go to the bathroom to get the blood out of my sight. I take off all my clothes and throw them away. I really need a really long shower now.

_[I lust after you so much that… I can't live without you.]_

That's what he said. I just wish that the one who had said that was _Paul_… and not _Cell_.

What should I do? Or better still: what _can_ I do?

* * *

I need another dress and new shoes, but I know that every single item in my closet will be too _hot_ for my liking. I should've suspected his true intentions when I saw this awesome off-the-rack collection… This is not Milan Fashion Week! Anyway, I pick a red dress and I keep my mind busy for an entire hour trying different shoes on and walking around the room.

God, I really need a distraction and I haven't got any better ideas than that…

Outside, it's getting dark.

* * *

I think I should kill myself.

I'm serious. But how?

Cell is always a step ahead of me: there is absolutely not any single item of cutlery around, the bathroom does not contain any sharp-edged item, no dangerous cleaning substance, nothing that I can use to get my goal.

I take one of my high-heeled shoes and throw it towards a mirror. The heel gets stuck like knife right in the middle and the mirror breaks into smithereens.

_I hate him so fucking much!_

_Oh, wait_… The shoe is like a knife and… now I have these bits of sharp-edged mirror… I could…

As I'm thinking this, Cell unlocks my door and comes in.

"Ivy, I need to…" He says as he comes in. "What the hell are you doing?"

I stare back at my high-heeled shoe which is _knifed_ into the wall where the mirror was. Now there's only the empty frame left. I stare back at him and try to think of a plausible answer.

"Nothing, I just…" I shrug my shoulders. "_hated_ that stupid mirror. That's all."

"Breaking a mirror brings 7 years of bad luck, people say." He says, trying to sound nice.

"You've destroyed thousands of cities… _thousands of mirrors included_. Why do you care?" I say defiantly.

"Do you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I say daringly.

"You don't need to get verbally aggressive." He says seriously.

I fall silent. I don't even know why I let the conversation flow in the first place. He knows I'm deliberately doing this, and thinking this.

"You…" He tries to break the ice again. "Do you want to know why I kept you out of the Games?" He says gently to me.

"… No." I say very calmly.

"Don't put a brave face. You don't have to." He tries to convince me.

"Whatever. You can think what you want." I whisper with an ice-cold voice like the iceberg that made the Titanic sink and head to the window. Cell has put the bars straight again and I stare at them for some seconds.

"Why are you so defiant?! Do you really think you could've taken part in them? Do you think you can speak to me the way you do because you assume you can take me down?!" He says suddenly offended as he comes closer to me.

"No, of course not." I say calmly. "I'm not _that_ stupid."

I turn my head to him and stare directly at his eyes. This seems to stop him. I think I see a slight tint of pink cross his cheeks…

"Are you hungry?" He says calmly, changing the subject all of a sudden. I raise an eyebrow at the comment. "If so, I can bring you anything you wish for."

"I prefer you to tell me what you were about to tell me." I whisper as if I didn't want to hear about it but, since I'm not going anywhere, I might as well stay, behave and listen carefully to anything he's got to say.

He raises an eyebrow at me. I think I'm too _unpredictable_ to him.

"I didn't want you to take part in the Games because…" He says with a very solemn voice. "… because… I…"

He stares at me. I stare at him back.

"… yes?"

He falls silent. He seems to hesitate.

"I don't usually copy other people's sentences, but…" I finally say, seeing that he does not go on. "**What game are ****_you_**** playing with me?**"

And then, he just leaves the room and locks me again.

In spite of the hell I'm going through (and I bet there's still a lot to come), I have this stupid grin on my face… and I know I'm _definitely_ becoming hysterical.

_What has Cell got in store for me now that the Games are over?_

The night is quiet… _very quiet_ tonight.

* * *

**Hi there!**

**Hope you liked it. Did you like the literary/historic references?**

**Will Ivy get over her constant hysteria? What does Cell have in mind for her? Are Krillin and the guys all dead? Will Ivy put an end to it all? Or will she 'play' this 'game' with Cell a bit longer? (Who is actually 'playing' with whom here?)**

**All this and more… ****_soon_****, I hope!**

**Read and review! ;)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


	3. Chapter 3: The Misunderstanding

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on ****_IVY'S CELL.._**

He falls silent. He seems to hesitate.

"I don't usually copy other people's sentences, but…" I finally say, seeing that he does not go on. "**What game are ****_you_**** playing with me?**"

And then, he just leaves the room and locks me again.

In spite of the hell I'm going through (and I bet there's still a lot to come), I have this stupid grin on my face… and I know I'm _definitely_ becoming hysterical.

_What has Cell got in store for me now that the Games are over?_

The night is quiet… _very quiet_ tonight.

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Misunderstanding**

_[Cell's POV]_

The Cell Games are the best idea I've ever had. _I'm such a genious!_

Gohan just can't stand a chance against me. I really enjoy beating the hell out of him. Poor kid! If only his father would see the mistake he's making. I will relish in his death in my bare hands!

I nearly kill him when Goku decides to interfere, but I'm not stupid. I'll kill Goku and he'll regret it so much. I really love a good decent fight!

We fight as if there was no tomorrow. I'm actually amazed at his power when he nearly kills me once… I must be careful with him, although I really enjoy the exchange of blows with him.

In the end, he manages to push me to the point I activate my internal bomb. Even though he's got a plan to take me away and not harm anyone else, my explosion is so violent that I kill him. But what he doesn't know is that I can manage to recover from the explosion, bit by bit, and I finally return to Earth…

Those fools really thought I was done already! _HA!_ When I come back, the whole group attacks me. I just throw a huge blast to them and it produces such a massive destruction that you could almost say it's like a giant earthquake.

Gohan, Krillin and the guys fight really well, but they are eventually defeated. I love playing with them for a while, but I get _bored_ in the end. I kill Yamcha and Tien and I almost kill Krillin…

**_Krillin_**… That stupid, short, bald, _really annoying_ guy!

He's telling me something odd all of a sudden during the fight. I knock him down and he tells me something right before I mortally wound him.

"I know what you're really up to." Krillin says whispering with a smirk on his face. "_About Ivy_. I know her quite well and I _also_ know the truth… You're _delusional_. Do you _really_ think she'll ever consent? **Do you really think she'll be willing to stay with you?** You're so mad… You'll _never_ get her to please you the way you expect her to do so… _She hates you and you know that_."

"My, oh my... How do you know that?" I sing playfully, amused even.

"Because she told me _herself_." He says with pride.

"_Why should I pay attention to any word you say, small little fly?_ (You're bothering me, so I will crush you right now…)"

"_Because she fancies someone else_…" He says with determination and it makes me frown. I see this is amusing him somehow.

I get really angry at this. Is it true?

_My dear Ivy… So cute, smart, tough, fit… She's so beautiful and clever. I really enjoyed fighting with her the day we met… I like her roughness, her drunken delirium, her striking beauty. She could knock a man down just by staring at him. She doesn't like me and keeps ignoring me or insulting me, but I really enjoy her presence beside me._

I never actually thought of her like that, I mean, in love. She's apparently so tough… Somehow I assumed she didn't love anyone besides her parents, but she may love someone, which is _obvious_, _although it had never crossed my mind_. This makes me rage. I clench my fists and hold him high from his neck. I really want to strangle him, but I think he knows more about this and I want to extract any other information that he may be hiding from me. I shake him.

"Who is it?" I demand.

"…" He just chuckles when I thought he'd actually spit it out.

"_WHO IS IT?!_" I get really impatient.

"_Me_…" Krillin says with a grin on his face.

Then, Piccolo throws a huge blast to me. Krillin gets rescued in the nick of time, before I try to actually kill him. He is badly wounded but still alive, although I believe he cannot possibly survive. The Games are over and the guys flee.

They flee! _HA!_ I laugh and decide to come home.

I enter my place victorious, only to find that Ivy has _escaped_… The grin on my face fades out immediately. I rage like never before. Then I realize that she might have hidden somewhere… maybe in the area I had just blown up with my giant 'ki' ball a few minutes ago. I freeze at the thought and get a cold sweat. I swallow hard and try to localize Ivy's 'ki'.

I cannot spot it. I spend some time searching for her. I'm not gonna give up so easily! For a few seconds, I really think she's dead, although I keep telling myself that that cannot be. I don't want it to be this way! _No!_ Then, I suddenly feel heartbroken and in despair… _That's strange._ I've never felt this way before… And it _bloody_ hurts what seems to me beyond repair.

Suddenly I can spot her out of nowhere. My heart skips a beat. I fly towards her. Then, I spot a guy emerging from a cave behind a waterfall. I get suspicious…

"Who are you?" I ask him without bothering to land.

He freaks out and falls on the ground. He manages to kneel down in front of me and begs me for his life. _Pathetic_.

"What were you doing in there?"

"Me? Nothing…"

I force him to lead me to her. I make this guy come in first… I'm so glad to see her again that I've completely forgotten about Krillin's words.

Then, Akira stammers something to her.

"Akira, what the hell are you doing here? I told you to go away. I hate you." She angrily tells this guy.

"Yes, I know that, sweetheart…" I say as I come in. Her face can't hide the amazement at seeing me. "Akira has just told me himself… And thanks to him, I have finally found you."

She swallows hard and gets as pale as Akira. I love it when she silently panics.

* * *

Akira throws up a lot of blood as I hit him hard.

I let him fall down onto the floor. When his body falls on the floor, it makes a dead noise that seems almost prophetical. He's not dead yet, but he will soon be. He's unconscious right now…

"Ivy, **what game are you playing with me**?" I say playfully but angry, although the predominant feeling in me right now is… Well, I'm so _horney_ right now. Ivy is so hot in this silk dress I got for her.

Akira's blood is generously spilled onto the ground of the cave. Ivy takes a step back, but then she notices the rocky wall right behind her and I know she can't escape any further.

"I know he had bothered you. So he's better off dead." I say triumphantly. "But he helped me find you… He has made your 'ki' rise for a _few precious seconds _and he's led me to you. But, you see, I don't want any witness of my interest in you…"

"You didn't have to kill him for that. You usually don't have a reason at all." She says blatantly. _I love it_ when she does so. It makes me crave for her lips.

"True. Especially now that I've won the Cell Games. Now I can destroy as much as I want. I know there's no one on this planet that can beat me… When I have gone back to the palace to see you and to tell you the news, you were no longer there." I say quite calmly, no undertone at all. "I was worried about you… I had sent a huge blast during the Games and for a few minutes I… was convinced that I might have _accidentally_ killed you with it, because I was able to wipe out thousands or acres with this one single shot. I thought that maybe you decided to hide there after escaping… And I could not feel your 'ki' anywhere… I really thought you were _dead_…" I fall silent and stare at her in a way she has never seen before.

"Well, I am not."

"How did you manage to escape?"

She bites her lower lip. I'd gladly bite it for her…

"Ivy…" I insist with a very serious and dark tone of voice, like before. I pierce her eyes with my powerful stare. I come closer to her and whisper: "Don't make me repeat myself."

"I… I hate you." She whispers.

That hurts me, although I already knew it. I come closer and closer, until I'm standing right in front of her. She swallows hard. I stare at her suggestive neckline.

I cup her chin into my hand quite gently. Then I lean on her and whisper right into her ears:

"I _lust_ after you so much that… _I can't live without you_."

"_I knew you were a bitch_…" Akira whispers with a broken voice, trying to mock Ivy.

So he's not unconscious after all… and still _alive_… Poor little annoying bug!

"Don't you dare say that again." I say with an icy voice. I create a light blast and shoot Akira dead immediately.

She gasps of horror and automatically covers her mouth with both her hands. I look back at Akira for a second and then back at her.

"Has he ever touched you?" I say serious as death.

"… No. Never." She whispers, scared.

"Good. Because you're _mine_."

* * *

Back at my palace, I unlock the door of Ivy's room and come in.

"Ivy, I need to…" I say as I come in. "What the hell are you doing?"

I see a high-heeled shoe which is _knifed_ into the wall where the mirror was. Now there's only the empty frame left. But I can't stare at the broken mirror for long: she's so hot in that silk dress she's wearing… I swear I'd rip it off and throw myself on top of her.

"Nothing, I just… _hated_ that stupid mirror. That's all."

"Breaking a mirror brings 7 years of bad luck, people say." I say trying to sound nice.

"You've destroyed thousands of cities… _thousands of mirrors included_. Why do you care?" She says defiantly.

"Do you?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"You don't need to get verbally aggressive." I say seriously. "You…" I try to break the ice again. "Do you want to know why I kept you out of the Games?" I say gently to me.

"… No." Ivy says very calmly.

"Don't put a brave face. You don't have to."

"Whatever. You can think what you want." She says turning around and staring at the window.

"_Why are you so defiant?!_ Do you really think you could've taken part in them? Do you think you can speak to me the way you do because you assume you can take me down?!" I say offended as I come closer to her. She really makes me mad sometimes…

"No, of course not." She says calmly. I'm surprised. "I'm not _that_ stupid."

She turns her head to me and stares directly at my eyes. This is one of the only things in this world that can stop me… I love those eyes… I'd gladly drown in them.

"Are you hungry?" I say calmly, changing the subject all of a sudden. "If so, I can bring you anything you wish for."

"I prefer you to tell me what you were about to tell me." She whispers softly and then I raise an eyebrow at her. God, she's a bit too _unpredictable_ to me. And hot.

"I didn't want you to take part in the Games because…" I say with a very solemn voice. I _can't _take Krillin's words from my head. "… because… I…" _Because I didn't want to harm you! I want you to be mine! I like you very much! I don't want you to hate me! And I don't want anyone to even look at you! _– That's what I'm thinking but I can't manage to say.

We stare at each other.

"… yes?"

I fall silent. I hesitate.

"I don't usually copy other people's sentences, but…" She finally says, seeing that I do not go on. "**What game are ****_you_**** playing with me?**"

And then, I cannot bear it. _I want her to be willing to stay with me_. I just leave the room and lock her up again.

I just can't ask her point blank about what Krillin has told me, whether it's true or not, although I'm dying to know… She'd relish in my suffering.

She hates me.

* * *

_ [Ivy's POV]_

In the end I didn't use the bits of broken mirror to put an end to it all. I just stored one sharp-edged fragment, just in case. I decided to try to have a good night's rest instead. I was hoping to get my mind clearer on the next morning, but in fact I have slept quite poorly and restlessly.

Now it's 4:30 AM.

I can't sleep anymore…

Why did he leave so suddenly? It seems as if he just couldn't do it, that is, utter the words he had in his mind. Is it so awful? What can that be? He didn't hesitate for a second to tell me he lusted after me when he found me in that stupid cave. It cannot be _the same thing_ again. No… It must be _something different_, something a lot more heavy, important,… or _whatever_.

Is it a _weakness_? Maybe I can hold on to it, if it is a clue to kill him or something… I could _definitely_ use it against him.

Should I push him until he tells me? Or should I leave it altogether? At the end of the day, why should I care? I'm gonna die anyway. I'm sure.

* * *

_[Cell's POV again]_

During the next day, we have a chat. Ivy is quite communicative today. It is as if she tries to pull my tongue, but I just won't say a word about what happened yesterday. She rages internally, I know.

But I notice there's something _wrong_ with her. Something's clearly bothering her and I don't know what it is… Is it what Krillin told me? Maybe Ivy is mad because she can't see him anymore… I still can't believe she fancies Krillin. _Impossible_. I'm quite stern since Krillin told me that. Ivy sure notices this and keeps wondering what the hell is going on, I suppose.

I decide not to make a single move towards her during a whole week. I play it distant, just to check on her. _I want her to spill the beans_. I do not touch her or kiss her, although I'm refraining himself from doing it. I'd do _everything_ to her right now… But _I want to prove Krillin wrong_: I know I can make her want me, not Krillin. I'm tall, strong, smart, tough, unbeatable; thus, _desirable_. **She'll be willing to take me**. I swear.

After this week, she'll come clean. I'll make her. I'm determined to follow this path of pride and jealousy, but I know I'm gonna win.

* * *

_[Krillin's POV]_

The Cell Games are over and we lost.

Goku is dead, Yamcha and Tien too. I don't seen to be able to get over loss, but we must be brave and carry on with our lives.

In the meantime, I'm slowly recovering from my wounds and try to train again, step by step. So do the other guys.

_Ivy_… What about her? I just hope she managed to hide and keep her 'ki' as low as she could. I think of her and sigh every now and then. _She's such a beauty_! I've never met anyone like her in my entire life! She was so _sexy_ in that silk dress… I really thought I had got over this stupid phase during the high school years, but it's clear to me that I _haven't_.

I rescued her… My hormones are making me mad already… _God, I wish I could protect her better! But I can't_.

I know I can't.

* * *

_[Ivy's POV again]_

An entire week has gone by and I'm still wondering what's really going on. The curiosity is the only thing that stops me from committing suicide. It's _killing_ me! Well, it's not _killing_ me literally… It's actually _keeping me alive_ instead!

I'm having a bath when suddenly Cell comes in without prior warning, in a rush, as if he's determined to do something to me. And of course, I panic.

"Ivy!" He says as he enters my bathroom.

Now I'm quite certain that what I see is a blush on his cheeks. It cannot be anything else.

"_WHAT THE HELL, CELL?!"_ I yell at him. "_OUT!"_

I cover my breasts with one arm while I point him where the exit is with the other.

I see his eyes roaming all over my naked body, scanning how every single droplet caresses my body, my soft skin, my overexposed chest, which is now pumping air and blood at a higher speed than normal. If he wants to take me, here and now is the perfect situation to do so. It's a bad timing for me… I admit I'm an unbearable temptation for him right now. I notice he's refraining himself from coming to me.

I just breathe unevenly.

He swallows hard, turns around forcefully and leaves the bathroom. Thank God he closes the door when he does so. I make funny faces in complete silence and wash my face with some cold water. I don't know what I will do after this…

When I come out of the bathroom, I'm fully dressed, although the dresses that Cell has chosen for me do not cover as much skin as I'd love them to do.

He wastes no time and takes me to an abandoned large estate in Hong Kong, which is quite peculiar because it reminds me of both the traditional old Shogun residences in Japan on the one hand and the magnitude, modern elegance and bloom of European richest estates on the other. We spend some time there – I mean, _days_. I wonder what he has in mind…

It's odd, really. He takes me swimming, to golf, to an empty cinema to play whichever movie they've left there, etc. He's deliberately trying very hard to distract me. He's such a gentleman today. I really dare to think he's trying hard to woo me… This change of attitude is most uncalled for, as far as I'm concerned. Therefore, I get suspicious.

While he shows me which will me my new 'room' (my cell, rather) – a really amazing room fully decorated in pure white and with a veranda which overlooks the ocean –, I try to pull out his tongue again, to almost no avail_. Almost_. The only thing I manage to get is a proper argument, as usual.

"Stop. I'm sick of this game, Cell." I say half-frustrated, half-proud of having caught him while doing some kind of mischief – _although I have absolutely no idea whatsoever about what exactly. _"Tell me what you are up to. Sort of _nowish_…"

"What are you talking about?" He asks as if he had no idea about it.

"You're so childish, aren't you?" I say proudly.

"No, I'm not." He says sternly as he stares at my breasts. He's changed his mood all of a sudden, although he doesn't seem bothered by what I have just said. _It's that stupid something else I cannot figure out._ As it's becoming the usual thing, he looks away from me as if he's thinking of this something else with great care, _with fear almost_, although I cannot be entirely sure about that either. _Does he really fear anything?_

I wait just to check on him, but seeing that he doesn't want to speak any further, I insist.

"You've _changed_… somehow." I whisper, kindlier this time – although he doesn't deserve it. "What is it?"

"Don't you try to _pity_ me, Ivy!" He suddenly yells at me in anger and blood-shot eyes.

"_Why should I?!_" I yell back at him, with anger too. "I hate you and you know that! I could not really pity you unless I _cared_ for you! But I _don't_."

"And why don't you? At the end of the day, I'm the one who has given you a shelter and food, and everything!"

"Don't forget that you took care of _destroying everything else beforehand_."

"Don't you dare treat me like that, Ivy! Don't go there… Just… _don't_… because I could kill you just using my little finger." He says getting closer to me, longing for my touch.

"_And why don't you prove it to me?_ At the end of the day, I'd rather die than endure the sight of you. You'd do me a favor, actually."

He falls silent and frowns. He also clenches his fists.

Then, he grabs me by my arms and snogs me. He catches me off guard, completely. So I let him. When he breaks the kiss, his lips part very slowly from mine, as if he's checking on me.

This is definitely getting _weirder_ by the minute.

"I don't think we're on the same page." I finally muster this sentence, feeling completely disorientated.

"No, we're never on the same page." He whispers back to me.

I can't see what I can answer to that, although he clearly expects me to speak. Seeing that I just can't meet his eyes and bite my lower lip instead of speaking up, he lets out a small grunt and lets me go.

I can't help but to think that _that_ is my first kiss. I wish _Paul_ had k-… Well, _I think_ we kissed, but we were so drunk that I don't remember it quite as clearly as I'd love to. I admit that was one of the greatest mistakes of my life. And now I cannot remember if that was _really_ my first kiss or not. I just wish it was because I can't admit that Cell's kiss actually _is_ my first kiss… I'm not usually that _girlish_ about stuff like that, but I just realize I really care. I expected life to be different than this. I had been _careless_, true, but now I see _how pointless and stupid_ most of my actions and beliefs were back then.

I wish it had all turned out differently.

Now, I see how Cell slowly walks away from me, stern like before. He locks the door again.

I keep wondering what's going on.

* * *

That same night, we're still in this Hong Kong large estate, at the veranda from the huge living room which looks out to the ocean. It's so beautiful…

The air is warm and the silence of the night fills the atmosphere. If only the animals were not scared to live here now that Cell is here too. They ran or flew away the minute they sensed Cell was here.

Cell has been spending most of our time here indirectly flirting with me. And _appallingly_, I must admit. He can really be such a gentleman sometimes… But he always ends up messing things up. We argue a lot. I still cannot understand why he is insisting on being polite to me. My mind does not seem to move from what could've been Cell's original master plan as regards his legacy and offspring, which is _raping_ me, not _flirting _with me.

**_Is he expecting me to gladly cope with him?_**_ Is he nuts?_ Why on Earth would I consent to a peaceful relationship with him when he destroyed my family, killed millions of people and almost completely managed to make this small planet a wreck, as if it was a mere old defenseless ship in a thunderstorm in the middle of the ocean, facing the inevitable fate of getting swallowed by a starving sea?

We're looking at the night sky, leaning on the wooden railing of the balcony.

"I've been thinking lately, Ivy." He says peacefully and seriously, as if he was a Lord of something.

"Good to know you have some brain cells still working up there. I though you didn't have any." I say with too much pride and scorn.

"Now, Ivy, you know I get_ mad_ whenever you talk like that to me. And when I get mad, usually our conversations do not end _well_. If you insist on being scornful to me, …"

"I most welcome this civilized attempt at reasoning," I say, cutting his speech with all the politeness I can gather. "… but I dare say I must repeat myself. Just ignore my tone of voice and focus on the content of my speech when I say that _I hate you_." Yes, I'm deliberately being quite obvious here.

"Ivy, _please_." He says obviously upset and trying very hard to refrain himself from doing something aggressive or foolish. "I need to tell you something and you're not helping."

"If you have something to say, just say it." I say seriously. I know I cannot play this stupid game of mine any further. He might get eager to treat me as roughly as he wishes and I shiver just at the prospect.

"Lately I've been holding onto something someone said to me and I cannot seem to let it go." He says seriously, seeing that I shut up.

"And what's that? I would say it's something related with _remorse_ but I doubt that you even consider its existence within your mind."

"True. It has nothing to do with remorse, dear. _On the contrary_." He makes a small pause, gathers some breath, shakes his head slightly and chuckles. "I know that you already know _why_ I'm keeping you by my side. I want a partner with whom to have offspring… But _someone_ said that, knowing you, you'd never agree to spend your life with me. Not even by force, I assume."

"I have my principles. You've met them thanks to my tone of voice."

"And your _sharp-tongued remarks_." He adds, staring directly into my eyes.

"So this person _knew_ me, you say."

"_Yes_. He claimed so, at least. You don't want to stay with me, do you? I want you to confirm this statement or deny it."

"I confirm it. How come can you _possibly_ have any doubt about that?"

"_Because you've never tried escaping anymore_. Not even _once_. You just went away the day of the Cell Games. And that was it."

"I can't stand a chance against you. You _said and proved_ to me that you'd always find me, no matter what. So, what's the point?"

"Don't try to hide the fact that you've already thought about _committing suicide_. I'm not stupid. I know that's any living creature's last chance."

I fall silent as he keeps staring at me.

"Why haven't you tried?" He asks almost whispering, almost fearful of my answer I would say.

"H-How could I? I d-don't have anything or no one to help me do it." I say stammering a bit. I'm so fucking nervous right now.

"I know you keep a fragment of the mirror you broke that day."

"_How do you know?!_" I say with amazement. I cannot believe it! I had it hidden in a spot I was certain he'd never come across it!

"I keep track of what you do and don't do, dear. Now, forget about the details of me knowing all this stuff and tell me _why_ you haven't done the deed?" He says quite calmly.

"Why haven't I…?" I whisper frowning at him.

"What's stopping you?" He says with the same flat tone of voice, as if he was unmoved. "You never get tired of telling me that you hate me and yet, _here you are_. I am revolting to you, I've kissed you and yet, _here you are_. You know my plans on you and yet,_ here you are_." He says getting closer to me, as if he knew I'm about to break down.

_"W-What are you aiming for?!_" I am on the verge of a crisis. I know I just did it out of sheer curiosity. That's all. Can I just admit it to him? _Will he laugh at me?_ Do I care if he does so? This is getting so weird and confusing by the minute!

"**_I think you like me but you don't dare to admit it_****.**" He says with a very light grin on his face, holding my chin with his right hand. "And that guy was so _fucking wrong_ about what he said to me, which was only meant to harm me in vain… and nothing more."

"_Is this the reason why you've been so kind to me lately?! Just to make me care for you or something?! Just to prove this guy wrong_?!" I say very angrily as I refuse the touch of his hand beneath my chin.

"I _may_… although…" He says playfully. "… I'd rather have a mate who's _willing_ to be with me than someone who clearly doesn't."

"Then, just let me tell you that I think you're _despicable_. And that I hate you and that this guy was right. _Because I've only stuck by out of my curiosity as regards your latest change of behavior._"

"_What?!_" He says amazed.

"I just wondered why you were _so edgy and then silent and coward all of a sudden_. You seemed _weaker_ towards me… and I knew something had happened during the Games which might help me survive or kill you… or _both_ even! That's why I was still holding onto life!" I say in a rush and with anger. "_God, I hate you so fucking much!_"

"You were waiting for a chance…?"

"_For a chance to kill you perhaps!_ There, I said it. But now I see that the only profit I'm gonna get out of this is the sheer pleasure of seeing how that _stupid grin of yours fades out from your face!_ I might as well die, but I'm telling you it'll be _worth_ it!"

"So this is what you really think?" He says seriously, but calmly. He's able to control himself better that I do. He only clenches his fists.

I just nod with pride.

"Who was this guy you were trying so hard to prove wrong, by the way?" I say flatly.

"He also said something else. Confirm it or deny it." He says seriously as he comes even closer to me. I can't escape any further.

"Don't try to change the subject. Who was he?" I insist.

"He said you'd never care for me, or like me, because you already care… _a lot_… for someone else." He says decisively as he comes even closer.

"Don't hesitate about it and state it clearly. _Do I love someone else who is not you?_"

He shuts his mouth and I see he presses his lips together very firmly. He's waiting for me to answer, very eagerly.

"Well, I'm not sorry to let you know that I do. _Yes_, I do love someone else. _Satisfied_?" I yell as if I could let Paul know that I really liked him and that I wanted to be more than friends with him, as if he could listen to me now.

He closes his eyes painfully as if he cannot believe what I've just said.

"Who was this illuminating fellow?" I say with a large grin on my face.

"Krillin." He whispers with a husky and very angry voice.

I frown at the mention of his name and the grin fades out of my face.

"_Krillin_?" I ask in amazement. What does he know about me and Paul? I never mentioned him to him. "Are you sure about that?"

Cell notices my bewilderment and he finds it odd. Somehow, his anger is put on hold. And so is my pride and determination.

"Yes. _Krillin_. I was beating him when he suddenly told me all about it."

"Krillin cannot know anything about it. _Impossible_!" I yell with amazement.

"Why can't he? _You love him, don't you?_ He's short, not stupid." He says trying to sound a bit sarcastic.

"_WHAT_?!" I yell. I can't believe it…

We stare at each other in silence and I see there is a huge, monumental even, misunderstanding. I panic.

"_I don't love him! I was in love with a guy from high school, a friend of mine who you killed, by the way_…" I say in a hurry. I'm breathing unevenly.

"_What?!_" He can't believe it, I dare say.

"_Where does Krillin get that I fancy him?! Good God, no!_" I say laughing a bit hysterically. I'm so hysterical that I didn't notice when Cell put his hands firmly on my waist…

"So you don't love him?" He says sinking his fingertips into my dress and my flesh below.

"_No!_"

"_What a relief_…!" He whispers to me exhaling lust and desire from every little cell in his body.

Then, he suddenly grabs me wildly and snogs me.

It's the second time he does so, but now his eagerness is so fucking wild in contrast. His firm lips touch mine in a way I had never felt before. The passion in him is so huge that it engulfs me completely. I must admit he makes me feel extremely weak right now. If only he wasn't a _killer_… This though makes me unbearably sad.

He keeps snogging me and holding me tight. He caresses my leg with the tip of his forefinger. It travels north until it reaches right beneath my skirt. I'm so drunk from his kiss that I feel almost numb.

He clearly wants to get laid, but I won't let him. I panic and push his chest away from me with all my strength. He clearly didn't expect that… That's why he violently falls backwards and I manage to escape from the living room and lock myself into my room. I know that neither the door nor the walls won't hold him for longer than a second, and yet I _may need_ this second… _to fetch my sharp-edged fragment of my mirror and use it against me_.

When he makes his way into my room crushing anything that separates him from me, door and bolt included, we stare at each other. The lust in his eyes is so overwhelming…

"Don't you dare to come any closer!" I try to sound threatening with the sharp-edged fragment of my mirror almost kissing my jugular.

"Stop it this instant, Ivy." He says with a husky, sexy voice.

"You know I can and I will. I've got nothing and no one left to live for, remember?"

In a nanosecond, he's standing right in front of me. I gasp. I thought this act would hold him back and that I'd have some seconds to make him worry about my well-being. I wanted at least to see him suffer before I died. As I said, in a nanosecond he's in front of me, grabs my hand which is holding the fragment of my mirror and takes it away from me. He crushes it under his foot and I can hear my last chance cracking into a hundred little pieces. Then, he creates a 'ki' ball and literally reduces those little fragments into mere dust.

"Just in case you're considering swallowing up those little pieces…" He says daringly.

His eyes never lose sight of mine. I feel lost. I think the only thing left for me to do is… _surrender_. He holds my waist with one hand quite gently. He leans his forehead on mine and sighs.

"I told you before…_ You're mine_."

My lightly parted lips feel too tempting to him. Then, he holds my nape with his other hand and kisses me deeply.

* * *

**Hi there!**

**Hot stuff! Yay! ;) Things are getting… steamier here, huh? Anyway, what will happen next? Do you really think that Ivy will surrender? Or does she have another option? Will she ever meet Krillin again? Will Cell change into a gentleman or is he just playing with Ivy?**

**Read and review! ;)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


	4. Chapter 4: The Prelude To An Ambush

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on ****_IVY'S CELL.._**

In a nanosecond, he's standing right in front of me. I gasp. I thought this act would hold him back and that I'd have some seconds to make him worry about my well-being. I wanted at least to see him suffer before I died. As I said, in a nanosecond he's in front of me, grabs my hand which is holding the fragment of my mirror and takes it away from me. He crushes it under his foot and I can hear my last chance cracking into a hundred little pieces. Then, he creates a 'ki' ball and literally reduces those little fragments into mere dust.

"Just in case you're considering swallowing up those little pieces…" He says daringly.

His eyes never lose sight of mine. I feel lost. I think the only thing left for me to do is… _surrender_. He holds my waist with one hand quite gently. He leans his forehead on mine and sighs.

"I told you before…_ You're mine_."

My lightly parted lips feel too tempting to him. Then, he holds my nape with his other hand and kisses me deeply.

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Prelude To An Ambush**

I think I'm gonna faint…

My mind sighs aimlessly and silently while Cell snogs me gladly. My legs feel weaker and weaker. I lay both my hands on his chest, applying no strength whatsoever this time, and I know he likes it. I bet he just loves the way I cannot do a single thing now but surrendering to him. He wants me weak and desperate – and I hate him even more for that.

Krillin might have been right about me not wanting to spend my life with Cell, but I'm definitely not in love with Krillin. I really miss him. I cared about him as if he was a brother to me. _Nothing more_.

Cell caresses my body and makes me feel horney. It's _disgusting_… The way my mind is playing tricks on me. I almost give in. I feel as if I _cannot_ control my body actively, which is very odd; but I manage to finally push him from me. This time not in such a violent way as before, when we were on the veranda. I think he knows this is too much for me_. I really think he's changing for me_: I don't really think he's putting up an act or something. _His politeness seems to spring pure and true from his very core_... He's different. Somehow. He definitely does not want to harm me… I almost find it bewitching.

In spite of all this, he's not remotely satisfied. I know. His face displays everything. He expected to get something more from me tonight, but he knows he just won't.

"_Not fancying Krillin doesn't mean that I fancy you instead_." I whisper almost out of breath. I'm still doing my best to breathe normally.

I know that this sentence only generates more frustration in him, but I need to make myself clear in this matter. The sooner I do it, the better. He might get angry, but he must admit it's true. **He had taken it for granted**.

Cell eventually makes as if he's about to leave me alone in my cell. This time he doesn't lock me up basically because he _can't_. The lock is broken. Well, the whole door is actually…

"Remember, dear: **you ****_cannot_**** escape**. If you do, I can find you. If you think that you can kill me in my sleep, you know you're wrong. I'm invincible. If you're planning…" He says sternly.

"Don't go on,…" I suddenly cut his speech. "… please. There's no need to." I whisper defeated and quite shyly.

He slightly nods and leaves me alone. No more locks from now on, I guess.

* * *

I sit on my bed and stare outside the window. I spend all night like this.

I sigh and cry a bit, but silently. All my beloved ones are dead. My only surviving friend takes the wrong conclusions and gets harmed. Maybe he's dead due to his injuries… And I'm living under the same roof with the one who started it all. Not only that, but he also wants to have sex and children with me. And I can't even kill myself.

I read some short stories by Angela Carter a few months ago… Little Red Riding Hood is not _that _little and she definitely goes _insane_ (as far as I'm concerned) when she decides to have some **_fun_** with the wolf right before he eats her whole. Should I just forget about it all and try to also have some fun in the meantime? Should I just switch my morals and pride off? Should I surrender gladly to him?

He seems to have changed this last few days… I wonder if he's only playing tricks on me.

I feel so _desperate and confused_ right now…

* * *

On the next morning, I leave Cell a handwritten note.

**_I'm writing this note just in case you think I'm trying to escape again, which I'm not. I'm just going to the nearest town to see if there are any forsaken clothes shops so that I can wear something decent._**

**_Coming back soon._**

**_Ivy_**

I wanted to add something like '_PS:_ _I hate your stupid silk dresses'_, but I thought it wouldn't help, so I just bite my tongue and leave the note as it is on my bed and go out. I really need some new clothes.

So I go into town. I stroll by and can't find any shops at all. The city has been abandoned in a hurry. It's obvious by the way the people left all their stuff here. Some people even forgot to take their savings with them… I walk by until I finally find a clothes store. It's quite nice, but small, and it seems in complete working order, which is strange bearing in mind that most of the shops here had been burnt or raided. I go in, try some stuff on and take some jeans and T-shirts.

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

I go to her room and see a piece of paper with something written on it. I make funny faces, frown and leave.

I just follow her 'ki' constantly.

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

When I return 'home', I'm not wearing the silk dress I was wearing when I left anymore. I left it in the shop and got a change of clothes there. So now I'm wearing low rider jeans and a white tight T-shirt. Cell is waiting for me in the hall, or so it seems to me.

"So you finally come back. I really thought you _wouldn't_… Bearing in mind our conversation yesterday, I thought you'd…" He says with pride.

I raise an eyebrow at him in surprise.

"Don't you trust me when I say I will come back?" I ask point blank, cutting his speech.

"What?" He seems amazed at my comment.

"I said I'd come back soon. Haven't you read my note?"

He falls silent.

"What? You _didn't_ read it, did you?" I ask normally.

He just stares at me and I think he's getting paler and paler. What's going on?

"If you didn't, you didn't." I say naturally. "I'm not mad. Just _disappointed_." It's not true, but I just wanted to take the chance to mock him. I know it's foolish, but I felt like it.

Having said this, I go to my room and store everything I've just… _stolen_. Well, I couldn't possibly pay for it since the town is completely inhabited. Anyway… When I'm done, I just throw the note into a bin and try to chill out for a bit.

I wonder why Cell has put on this weird act when I came home. 'Home'… What a strange word to use right now!

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

That stupid note almost gives me away!

_I'm so fucking angry!_

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

It's time for lunch, I'm hungry and I think Cell is in a very bad mood. I really don't know why.

Have I done anything stupid? Have I said something unfortunately rude? Well, I… I may have been a bit rude when I came back, but I don't see why he should be so offended. Haven't I come back eventually? I haven't escaped after all. I _expected_ he'd mock me for it, saying that I have no other thing left to do but to come back to him. Maybe he'd try to seduce me again. Maybe he'd get mad at me. Maybe he'd try to destroy all the new clothes I had got and laugh at me… or try to kiss me again… or _something_. But instead, he just made as if he hadn't read the note… But I'm sure he must have come to my room to check if I was there, or in case I had left a clue or something. _He must've seen the note_… But that's weird: why was he _insisting_ on me not wanting to come back? He was _genuinely_ surprised when I said I had written that I _would_. He was getting paler as I spoke.

Maybe he's not feeling very well. _Do monsters get ill?_

Anyway… This mental monologue is leading me to strange paths. _Am I starting to care for him? _Anyway, I should probably get something to eat.

When I go down to the kitchen, I don't see or hear him. He's not in the living room, the library, the hall, the bathroom, his room,… It's as if he's gone and left me on my own.

* * *

It is late evening already and I haven't seen him all day. Is he _that mad_ at me? Or has he got special plans for me? Is he preparing something I'm not aware of? If he really is sick, maybe he doesn't want me to see him in such a state. The doubt is killing me.

Out of the blue, I hear a rustling sound from down below and I run to the hall. It's Cell. He's come back! _Why do I get this thrill inside of me right now?!_ I'm definitely getting mad… Or maybe I'm just _bored_ of being left alone.

He spots me at the top of the stairs and seems to hesitate so as to say something to me or not. I see he's about to move his lips… But he eventually keeps his mouth shut and goes straight into his own room.

_That's strange._

* * *

"What's wrong with you?" I say standing by the door.

Cell is amazed at my sudden outburst of _care_ for him, let's say. His eyes are fully open and fixed upon me as I'm standing under the threshold of the door of his room now. I'm getting used to his roaming eyes upon my whole body.

His room is larger than mine. It's very luxurious and very posh. I don't really like this kind of interior designs, but anyway. I didn't build nor buy the place, so why should I care anyway? The thing is that Cell's room is very modern. His bed is huge – well, he is also huge. All the curtains, bed sheets, cushions, the carpet, a huge sofa, etc. is black like a crow. I hate black. It's the colour I like the least, but I must admit that the room is quite awesome fully decorated in this colour. It's sort of… _classy_.

"It's nothing." He says almost whispering, sternly but upset.

Something's up and I'm determined to know what exactly.

"You're making funny faces lately when something's bothering you." I say serenely, no undertone implying anything at all. "Have you met Krillin again and has he told you anything strange about me?" I say playfully.

"No, I haven't met him again." He says seriously. "I expect him to be _dead_ by now."

I frown at the comment and both of us fall silent. Seeing that he's in a bad mood, I just close my eyes and decide to make myself scarce. My presence would only make things worse, I know. That's what usually happens around here, since I'm like a box full of dynamite ready to be ignited. I should be patient and wait for a better, calmer tide. Therefore, I turn around and leave.

"Wait!" He says in a hurry.

I just stop walking and slowly turn around. I meet his gaze, which is obsessed with my eyes and eyelashes, it seems. He's sort of desperate… I don't say anything at all and wait for him to say something, but he just doesn't. I roll my eyes and eventually say a bit bored:

"What is it?"

"Stay." His voice sounds deeper than before.

"What?"

"Stay with me. No words. _Just stay_."

"Stay? What for? If you're thinking about…" I say nervously.

"No, I'm not. I swear I won't do anything to you tonight. Just stay with me." The way he is _begging_ me to stay is absolutely new to me. _That's weird_… I'm getting extremely nervous, but I decide to comply.

He allows me to come in, he closes the door behind me and he shows me to his huge sofa. We sit. We stay completely still. We don't ever say a single word. Finally, I dare to look at him inquisitively. I stare at him, but he doesn't, although I know he feels my eyes on him. I never actually paid attention at his sculpted and well-built chest, or his broad shoulders, or his thick neck… In the end, he sighs and looks back at me.

"Fine." He whispers as if he had just been defeated. I raise an eyebrow at him and he goes on. "I didn't read your note this morning."

"That's… _not a big deal_." I whisper back as if it didn't mean a thing. It doesn't really matter to me.

"I didn't read it because I don't know how to read." He whispers eventually.

My eyes grow big enough to swallow the entire planet due to my sudden amazement.

"_What… did… you… just… say?_" I whisper back.

"I was born in the lab! I'm a successful experiment in creating the most powerful and destructive creature in this world! Doctor Gero was gone. Later he was just dead. I grew up on my own. I never had the need to learn how to read and write! I was born to destroy, not to make any contribution to the literary world!" He says in a rush and angry like hell, trying to justify himself. I think he's just ashamed of it, but he doesn't want to admit it. But in fact, he _doesn't really need_ to know how read actually. He's right, I guess.

I don't know what to answer, but I do my best.

"True. I know that." I whisper a bit hesitantly.

"You can mock me." He says seriously.

I wait for a couple of seconds to answer that. Maybe that's my only mistake today.

"I'm not going to…" I whisper back.

"Do it." He says angrily, cutting my speech. He thinks he deserves it somehow and I'm sure he believes I won't dare to mock him because I'm afraid of him. "You hesitated for a couple of seconds. I know you _want_ to."

"I'm not going to do it. I don't want to." I say seriously but kindly.

He suddenly pins me down on the sofa. I gasp. His huge hands grab both my hands and wrists and he holds them firmly on either side over my head. My hair is loose on the sofa. His nose is barely an inch from mine.

"_What are you doing?!_ You said you wouldn't touch me!" I whisper angrily.

He's so calm right now! I can't even believe it. Having him so close to me makes me incredibly nervous and he's just… just… _calm_. He's enjoying it. I know.

"I swear that if you've been playing tricks on me, I will…" I say angrily.

"I _really_ don't know how to read. It's true. I'm not playing tricks on you." He says using that husky, sexy voice that makes my hair stand on end in a weird, half-positive, half-negative way. _It makes me really uneasy_… He goes on: "Do you _want_ me to?"

I feel his warm breath on my skin.

"_What? No!_" I say angrily. "Why would I?"

"It would be easier for you to admit that you care for me."

I blush a bit too much for my liking and I know he's taking it how he wants. He's smiling devilishly at me now. I feel suddenly too hot. He leans his whole body onto mine… And I know this is my fault. Why did I come to him in the first place? Am I mad or what?

"_Ivy_…" He whispers very, very slowly. "Why have you come to my room?"

Then, he buries his head right in the left side of my neck and he leaves a soft trail of sweet kisses. I feel something stir within me. I don't understand it.

"Stop it…" I whisper weakly.

"You care for me."

"I don't…"

He reaches my ear and then I'm about to faint… of pleasure. I moan mentally and I find it hard not to release it orally. My nipples are getting harder. It hurts to admit it, but I'm really enjoying it. I don't know what he's done to me, but he has me where he wanted, how he wanted, and I can't afford to keep up with my pride anymore.

All of a sudden, I feel one of his knees sweetly forcing my legs to part from one another. Then, I notice his arousal down there.

"Cell, don't…" I try to say, but suddenly his lips are on mine, claiming my whole attention.

After a few minutes, he breaks the kiss.

"You like it, don't you?" He whispers to me. "I feel your body reacting to mine, to what I'm doing to you… I love it… _It's a million times more exciting than killing someone_."

"I hate you. Leave me…" I manage to whisper.

He snogs me for some minutes until we're both almost breathless.

"I like the clothes you're wearing…"

"W-Why? You didn't choose them…"

"_But they're easy to rip off_." He whispers devilishly.

He does so. He takes both my hands into one of his. With his free hand, he rips off my white tight T-shirt. My light pink bra survives, for the time being. He also undoes the button of my low rider jeans quite roughly.

I gasp when he does so. He chuckles. _Ooh… Why do I feel so weak right now?_ Then, his hand caresses my exposed skin.

"_Ooh,_ I love your curvy waist…" He whispers relishing in the touch. "And your skin is so soft and warm… _Ivy_…"

I think I'm gonna explode. I can't take this anymore!

I fight back. I manage to release both my hands and push him away from me. I grunt as I do so. He falls on the ground but I guess he had expected that, because he's smirking to me right now, he stands up in no time and comes back for me with a devilish grin on his face. I'm in a sitting position on the sofa when he pounces on me. Accidentally, the sofa falls on its back making a loud, crushing noise and we roll on the floor. We're both breathing hard, unevenly. I end up on top of him, sitting on his stomach, but I'm more than ready to deliver some blows to his face with my two clenched fists if he makes a single move. My disheveled hair falls freely over my bare shoulders and partly covers my bra and breasts.

"_Oh, Ivy… You look stunning_." He says using that sexy, husky voice.

I punch his face once. I know he has let me do it. _Bastard_. He's smiling at me now. I want to leave the spot, so I stand up, but when I have barely lifted my butt but a few inches from his stomach, he grabs my hips and nails them to his cock. He starts a rocking motion and I can't help but letting my jaw drop and rolling my eyes. I think I accidently let out a small moan.

"_You're very hot down there_…" He whispers to me quite darkly. I still have my jeans on but he notices it. It's true. I feel hot, very hot down there.

"I h-hate you, _Cell_…" I say while he's got my hips trapped into his mighty hands. He still carries on with the rocking motion and it's driving me insane.

"_And yet I bet that you're wet and ready for me, dear_…"

Suddenly a noise comes from the hall and both Cell and I freeze. We stare at each other wondering what that was. The door has been forcefully opened. Then, we hear a yell from the same spot. The voice sounds quite familiar to us: it's Krillin.

"Come downstairs if you dare, Cell!" Krillin yells.

He's crazy! I hope he's not coming alone. _This is insane_… It cannot be possible, unless Krillin and the guys have a plan or something.

"So Krillin is here, isn't he?" Cell chuckles.

"_Nice timing_…" I whisper partly relieved.

"_I'm not done with you_." He says with that husky voice that makes me shiver.

Then, he sits up and hugs me so tightly that I find it hard to breathe. Next, he holds my nape with one hand and snogs me gladly. The guys don't seem to move from the hall and they keep calling out for Cell.

"Yell back, Ivy…" He whispers to me after he stops snogging me.

"What?" I say bewildered.

"I said… _yell back, Ivy_. Let them know what I'm doing to you right now." He says with an evil grin on his face.

"Oh, no… I won't." I say angered.

"Why not? They'll come in and save you, dear."

"This is one of your manipulative tricks, isn't it?" I whisper with determination. "You want Krillin to rush into this room and see us like this! You're still mad about what he told you, aren't you?"

"I may." He admits feeling proud and witty. "Now, _yell_ sweetheart."

"_Not bloodly likely!_" I whisper with rage. "**I'm not going to let you ambush him like this**."

"No? _Oh, Ivy,_ if you won't yell, does that mean that you…" He goes on really naughtily. "… _consent_ to this?"

"_You bastard_!"

"It's called _win win. _Whatever you do, I win all the same."

"_You're…!_" I whisper enraged beyond the imaginable.

"I'm _what_, Ivy?" He says with a smirk on his face. "_My Ivy…"_

* * *

**Hi there!**

**This chapter has been exhausting… I've had such a ****_bad week_****, so sorry guys. Part of the argument between Cell and Ivy is autobiographical – ****_if only it had ended in hot stuff in real life as well! AAARRRGGG…!_**** (This is Denim Jean raging like hell). I really feel I could've pushed the whole thing a bit further, but anyway. I'll save it for later.**

**In the next chapter,… will Krillin get torn apart due to this hot scene between Cell and Ivy, as Cell intends to? Will Ivy get rid of Cell's arms? What are Krillin's and the guy's plans for tonight?**

**_Don't like, don't read._**

**Read and review… :)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


	5. Chapter 5: The Enlightenment

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on ****_IVY'S CELL…_**

"This is one of your manipulative tricks, isn't it?" I whisper with determination. "You want Krillin to rush into this room and see us like this! You're still mad about what he told you, aren't you?"

"I may." He admits feeling proud and witty. "Now, _yell_ sweetheart."

"_Not bloodly likely!_" I whisper with rage. "I'm not going to let you ambush him like this."

"No? _Oh, Ivy,_ if you won't yell, does that mean that you…" He goes on really naughtily. "… _consent_ to this?"

"_You bastard_!"

"It's called _win win. _Whatever you do, I win all the same."

"_You're…!_" I whisper enraged beyond the imaginable.

"I'm _what_, Ivy?" He says with a smirk on his face. "_My Ivy…"_

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Enlightenment **

_Me?! Consenting to this?! HA! Whatever…_

But I really hope I can do something… _anything_… before the guys decide to leave the hall and start searching the house – and find us _here_, on Cell's bedroom floor, me on top of Cell and he… well, he's getting horney… _Maybe I should just yell_. I really don't want any misunderstanding, although it might lead them directly into the trap… What should I do?

As he's saying this last sentence, he gently caresses one of my cheeks. The touch is so soft that it makes me wonder whether it is possible that those same two hands are capable of such ruthless murders and massive destruction. I frown and shut up.

I definitely think I've been misguided. Somehow I believed he was capable of change, as if he was a rough diamond which only needs to be polished. I was so wrong… He's still the same madman, the same monster… and **he's just ****_playing_**** with me**. So fucking obvious! I should've seen this one coming. My hate grows and grows as the realization of the truth irrevocably settles in my heart and gets engraved in my mind, lest I should forget in the future who Cell _really_ is.

His eyes are analyzing my face, which is quite calm despite the recent events, and I'm sure he's wondering what the hell I'm thinking right now. Then, he just smiles lightly and, the next thing I know, he's snogging me again.

* * *

_[Cell's POV, right after Ivy has come back home from town that morning and they have the weird conversation about the note she had left.]_

The cool wind brushes my limbs as I'm flying over the ocean. I needed a break. I can't stand it when I'm not the best… and that stupid note has almost revealed one of my weaknesses today.

**_I don't know how to read or write._**

Well, this is not exactly a _weakness_ per se, but **my pride** doesn't let me acknowledge the fact that I don't really need to know about it. If I don't need it, why should I **bother**?

_Ivy_… She's the first and foremost in my mind…

I've left Ivy at home, alone. I just can't let her see me like this. She'd eventually find it out because she's quite smart, but I don't want her to know about this. She'd mock me. She'd think she outmatches me in something and that she can fool me or use it against me. As far as she's concerned, I do not have any weakness at all. That's how it must be.

I guess I just need some time to let this frown disappear from my face before I come back to her.

* * *

Most of the day has gone by and I'm still mad at myself because of the same reason. _Why does it keep bothering me so fucking much?! Why do I care?!_

I should let it go already, but I can't. I rage internally… The usual thing I do when something makes me rage is fight back, but I definitely can't fight back against my own thoughts! I cannot beat them up! I cannot mock them! I cannot… fight… against them!

The idea of destroying more cities and towns has crossed my mind on several occasions today, but I haven't. I just haven't… I was looking at the people down there, walking on the streets completely oblivious that I, Prefect Cell, the strongest creature in the universe, was up there, flying above their little heads (who, unlike me, may know how to read or write) and pondering on massive destruction again. But it was as if I was not in the mood to do so. Something has changed… There's _something_… Can it possibly have something to do with this _nauseating_ feeling of… shame… pride… anger… _whatever_?!

I'm flying back home to check on what Ivy has been doing all day without me.

Ivy… Should I just tell her and leave it already?! Maybe she'll mock me for it, but then this weird feeling would disappear from my mind…! That's what I should probably do, yeah. I'm not comfortable with the idea, but let's face it. It's worth trying…

But _would_ she mock me knowing that I'm vile and ruthless? I could crush her! She _must_ be careful with her use of words when she's talking to me! Well, she _should_, but she usually _isn't_. _WTF!_ I shouldn't tell her at all! _Nonsense_! I _should_! But then, what can I do? But she's _good_, isn't she? She's a _good gal_, right? She's… determined, strong-willed, gorgeous,… she can be nice if she wants to, she's… Would she be understanding if she knew instead of mocking me? Or would she tease me until the end of time? Should I be _nicer_ to her (I don't want her to tease me)? But I _don't need to be nice_ because I'm so fucking strong, and ruthless, and almighty, and… _AAARRRGGG_…

_"__**Bloody note!**_ It all started because of _you_…!" I say angrily to myself.

_… didn't it?_ (I think as if it were just a frail whisper).

The sun is setting behind me and I rush back to Ivy. _My _Ivy…

* * *

_[Ivy's POV, back to the present: Cell and Ivy are in his room, he's snogging her, and Krillin and the guys are in the hall, yelling.]_

Out of the blue, Krillin and the guys find us.

Even though they open the door (and gasp at the scene taking place right before their very eyes), Cell doesn't stop snogging me, and I keep trying to fight him the best that I can, unsuccessfully trying to push him away from me. Krillin is frozen. He gasps because he's just seen me half-naked, I suppose… If Cell told me the truth, it seems that Krillin fancies me. When Cell stops snogging me, I see him blush and I blush too, _but not because I fancy him_: this whole situation is too much for me, my blood pressure and my libido. My head's in a mess right now…

A guy called Vegeta loses his patience and yells at Cell. He threatens him and tries to make him fight against him. Everyone is _ignoring_ me (except for Krillin, who might be still delusional as regards what I feel) and I'm glad about it, really. The only problem is that I feel like a doll or something. I wish Cell would just leave me alone and go away to fight them.

As if Cell had just read my thoughts, he violently leaves me on his bed and answers Vegeta's verbal threats with a real fight. Therefore, he makes them go out and start fighting.

In the meantime, I don't know what to do. **I feel blocked**, because I can't come up with any ideas to save my ass even though I should take this chance to do something. I'm starting to get a headache as I'm reminded by myself that I cannot escape from his grasp, because he'll always track me down no matter what I do, no matter where I go. I feel unbearably hopeless… But I feel there _must be something_ I can do!

After some minutes, Krillin, all battered and shedding blood from several wounds, comes back for me while Cell is busy kicking somebody else's butt.

"Ivy…!" He says exhausted and glad to see me.

"Krillin! You look… awful! OMG, let me help you."

Seeing him has somehow broken the blocking trance I was trapped in. I put Cell's black sofa back to its original position and I help Krillin to sit down on it. I sit beside him.

"Cell will kill us all in no time if we fight that bad…"

"Is it so? Why did you come here for?" I say worried. "To get killed?!"

"I managed to convince the guys to come back and fight to release _you_." He tells me gently. "I told them your story. They really don't want to have little Cells running over the face of the Earth!" Then, he unsuccessfully tries to chuckle.

I really love the sound of his voice while he's saying this, but he can't hide the fact that my exposed bra and boobs are distracting his attention all the time. Yeah, I kindda didn't have time to get a new T-shirt on to replace the one Cell has ripped off before…

"What? Are you insane?!" I say with anger. "You know he wants me badly and he's just too strong for you. And… Oh, wait: how did you know that I was here with Cell?"

"Funny you ask…" He smiles a bit.

"Oh, yes, that stupid 'ki' thing… I almost forgot about that."

"Ivy, you have to come with me. We still got some time left while the guys are distracting him."

"You mean… now?"

"I'm sure Cell will not noticed that I'm gone, since I'm not really worth killing. I'm not as strong as the rest of the guys."

"He immediately will! He's mad about _you _in particular…" I say too vehemently. My boobs accidentally move. He stares.

"What?!" He asks back. Please, Krillin, don't stare at my boobs like that…

"… I-I'll tell you later." I hesitate for a second.

"Then, let's go, Ivy. Come with me." He insists as he manages to stand up. I feel blocked again. "Ivy, hey, we should get going? Are you OK?"

I'm frozen. I must admit that I still hesitate as regards Cell's behavior from the last few days, his kindness and all. And the way he's come back tonight… His face, his attitude. The way he needed me to stay beside him. No words, just us… I feel weaker…

"Ivy,… are you OK? Come with me, we have to go…" Krillin tells me with a soothing voice. "Now."

I have to remind myself that Cell is a monster, that he just relishes in… playing tricks with me and my mind,… in killing people,… in getting horney because of my body. **What he's done and said to me tonight might have been one of his dirty tricks again**. It's all been a performance, I know. His face, attitude and everything that has happened today, tonight… He'll try to get me into his bed again someday. That's his _only ambition_ as regards me. _Disgusting_.

I know I will not be able to escape if I stay. _This is my only chance_.

"Ivy…"

"OK, let's go now." I say eventually.

All of a sudden, Cell breaks into his bedroom, where both Krillin and I still are, and spots me as I'm leaving with Krillin by the window. Cell frowns, grunts and rushes to Krillin faster than I could ever have imagined.

"_Don't you dare touch her!_" Cell yells at him as he aims a blow at him. Krillin's body impacts on the wall and he crashes on some items of furniture, which get reduced to mere firewood. "I swear I'd kill you if you weren't such a _small, little bug_!"

Krillin manages to get up and then some of the guys come back for him and they finally flee. I'm left alone with Cell again.

Silence. _Why do I feel suddenly ashamed?_ I don't understand…

He goes to the window and starts screaming at them while they're leaving from his property; he mocks them and laughs at their cowardice. My last chance at escaping has just vanished into thin air. I'm done. I know. The truth aims this blow at me and I let it break my hope into smithereens.

Silence.

What is he doing now? What might he be thinking?

Then, Cell turns around to look at me with such cruel, cold eyes that I shiver all over.

"_Ivy_…" He whispers to me coldly, _very coldly_. "You… were… leaving… with him… weren't you, _dear_?" He whispers stressing each word in the sentence, hissing like a snake. I feel like crying out of despair.

"I can't deny that." I manage to whisper with a broken voice.

"You wanted to leave me." He says strikingly calmly.

"You know I've always wanted that." I also say calmly.

"You want to betray me, don't you?" He says raising an eyebrow.

"No, of course not. To be able to betray you, I should've first made you think that you can trust me, which is not the case." I say calmly, although it's hard.

"Is that so? What about today? About your stupid note? You came back! _Willingly_!" He starts yelling at me. "_I trusted you_! And barely a few minutes ago you were here with me because you were obviously _worried_ about me been gone all day! And when I've touched you, kissed you and held you, you got horney! With _me_! _You care for me… You like me…_"

"You killed all the people I loved! You never listen to a word I say, don't you, Cell? _I hate you_. I could never care for you! I could never… _ever_… like you!" Right after I say this, his eyes become blood-shot red, like when he's incredibly mad.

"Stop it this instant, Ivy." His voice is like a grunt now. I know he's trying to restraint the need to attack me by the way he clenches his fists and teeth. His veins are also standing out a bit too much.

"_No, I'm not stopping it_." I say with a broken voice as a tear flows down my left cheek. "_What_ do you think I am?! A prize that you can keep locked in a glass cabinet?! A living doll you can play with?! _What_?!"

"_You belong with me_! It's our fate! We're meant to be together!" He yells at me as if I was stupid.

"Why?! Because a stupid man created us both? You're delusional if you think this is _enough_."

"You don't fit in this world! Neither do I! Because we're a lot better and more powerful than they'll ever be in their entire, miserable lives! We can rule over this planet. We _have_ to. It's my duty as the perfect creation… and you'll be by my side."

"No, we don't _'have to'_! I don't _want_ to…! There's no _we, _Cell!" I yell back at him and make as if I'm leaving. Then, Cell rushes to the door right before I can cross it and he stands right in front of me. I gasp.

"_You're not going anywhere_." He whispers with his horrid cold voice. His eyes are so red… I think he's just about to lose control. That's exactly what I want: for him to lose control and kill me. He'd do me a favour right now. "You'll stay here with me…"

"What if I don't?!" I say threateningly – or the best I can manage.

"I will…" But he doesn't finish the sentence. He stares intensely at me, while every single muscle in him is screaming to me in a violent way that he's just about to hit me.

"What?..." I whisper in obvious despair. "What will you do to me?"

Then, we start to fight.

It's been a long time since we last did this. I missed it, I swear! I really wanted to have the chance to kick his ass even though it may mean certain death once I've done so! He kicks me first, but I'm able to stop him. I perfectly know that his strength is unbelievably colossal. In spite of this, I'm fearless.

The fight goes on and we break absolutely every single item of furniture around us. The walls get destroyed too. All windows and doors get broken too. I'm so fucking mad at him right now! (He is too.)

"I said, _stop it this instant, Ivy_! I don't want to hurt you too much!" He yells at me mad like hell, although is intention seems to settle the peace between us, which is odd. He's not a peaceful man at all! Anyway, the vile, angry tone of his voice totally defeats the purpose.

"Don't you dare patronize me, Cell!" I yell back at him. "God, I HATE YOU SO FUCKING MUCH!"

At this point, he's able to get behind me and he crushes me with his arms all around me. Suddenly I get powered on in such a wild way I've never experienced before… It's as if I felt an endless source of energy flowing within me, as if I could knock him down or something just by wishing it so. And that's what I do…

**I wish it.**

**I wish I could beat him down and teach him a lesson once and for all.**

That's when I feel the energy violently flowing out of me and I expel Cell from his dominant position on me. He crushes into the few remains of what had once been a wall. I feel like a light bulb… I'm glowing and it feels amazing! Cell is trying to stand up again and he's staring at me with bewilderment.

This sudden increase of energy might have struck him as unbelievable and I bet he didn't see this one coming! (Neither did I, to be sure.)

We fight and this time I feel some sort of hope within me that tells me I can do this, I can fight him, I can win. And believe me when I say that kicking the hell out of him is one of the best things I've ever done in my entire life! It feels awesome!

"Ivy…" He says amazed still, even though it's been a while now since I let this energy flow. "This is amazing…" His voice is a lot calmer now, as if all his anger is suddenly gone for good. He stares at me as if he wants to hug me and kiss me again. Oh, no, sir! _Not bloody likely!_

"Don't play tricks on me again!" I yell at him with anger.

That's when my blows are fiercer and I beat him, but I have the feeling he's not given me all he's got to give.

"Come on, Cell! Don't tell me you're exhausted already!" I say with eagerness to go on fighting. "Are you giving up now?!"

"Ivy, I've told you to stop it before you started fighting me." He says a lot calmer now. I wonder what he's thinking. Is this another trick of his? "I never wanted to fight against you in the first place…"

"I'm not buying it." I say using a husky voice.

"Ivy, I…" Cell hesitates.

**He's like ****_that_**** again**… Different, peaceful, sort of… _weaker. _I cannot properly describe it. I hate it so much! He's confusing me _again_! Why does he keep doing this all over again? He deliberately does it to confuse me and make me doubt! I hate him so much! I should kick his ass until he truly regrets playing tricks on me! I'm fed up with it already!

"Can't you see what I've told you before?" He tries to reason with me. "All this power is superhuman. You don't fit. Neither do I because of it. _We _are…"

"I told you _there is no 'we'!_" I say furious.

"Ivy, don't get mad at me 'cos I'm telling you the truth." He says soothingly, but seriously. "I hate it when you're angry… I wish I could -"

"_You wish you could – WHAT – Cell?! WHAT?! It's always you and your stupid wishes! And you know what? I've been wishing a lot of things, like never seeing you again in my fucking entire life, and somehow I never get to decide anything as regards my life! Why do you think that I should care about listening to your wishes now?!"_

My sudden outburst has made him shut up and rethink about what words he must use when he speaks to me.

"Ivy, calm down. Ire doesn't let you think and speak the way you usually do."

He may be right, but I'm not going to let him have the satisfaction to be proven right.

"I hate you so fucking much, Cell!" I say in despair as a tear flows down my cheeks again.

I feel I can never trust him. I somehow felt I could at some point, but I know I was wrong. I misunderstood all the signals. At this point, I feel defeated, as if this new source of power I've just discovered wasn't enough to beat Cell, as if psychologically he's fucked me up.

I feel torn. I feel hurt inside. I feel _dizzy._

… I faint.

* * *

**Hi there!**

**What?! Ivy has fainted now that she almost had him?! OMG… **

**How will Cell react to this? What about his strange new attitude? What reason is behind it? What about Krillin and the guys? Do they still care about her? Will they try again to rescue her in the future? Or will they develop a new plan? Does Krillin harbor feelings for her?**

**_This and more stuff… in the next chapter!_**

**Read and review! ;)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


	6. Chapter 6: The Invisible Camp

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on ****_IVY'S CELL.._**

My sudden outburst has made him shut up and rethink about what words he must use when he speaks to me.

"Ivy, calm down. Ire doesn't let you think and speak the way you usually do."

He may be right, but I'm not going to let him have the satisfaction to be proven right.

"I hate you so fucking much, Cell!" I say in despair as a tear flows down my cheeks again.

I feel I can never trust him. I somehow felt I could at some point, but I know I was wrong. I misunderstood all the signals. At this point, I feel defeated, as if this new source of power I've just discovered wasn't enough to beat Cell, as if psychologically he's fucked me up.

I feel torn. I feel hurt inside. I feel _dizzy._

… I faint.

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Invisible Camp**

_[Cell's POV]_

What the hell has just happened here?!

First, those little annoying _bugs_ come here and defy my authority, even though I beat all of them during the Cell Games. They tried again, but it's as if they already knew they cannot do anything to beat me… Did they really train before they came here?

Then, Krillin escapes and comes to see Ivy, who is _more than willing_ to escape with him. A part of me feels _deceived_. Somehow I didn't expect her to escape from my grasp ever again… I left her hopeless with that precise purpose, so that she actually considered willingly staying and teaming up with me.

_And I almost had her…_

Although I started to _plan_ all this feeling absolutely thrilled about having someone who shares my origins by my side, I admit I was also _possessive_ at the time. _I desperately wanted to have her… _Her soft lips, her warm eyes, her long eyelashes, her slender figure, her swaying hot hips, her dark long hair which smells so right and feels so soft… I craved for her touch. As days went by, I've come to realize that my original plan had its _flaws_ – in the way I carried it out and the final purpose. _Especially the latter_… Now I understand that my aim (locking her up and have sex with her) was quite childish and simplistic. I'd never admit this out loud, especially to Ivy; but when I'm alone with my thoughts, as Ivy is now lying on the floor of my bedroom, unexpectedly unconscious for a reason yet unknown to me, _I can admit this to myself freely and unashamed_.

I would've never thought I'd be able to feel ashamed of something, though. That still _amazes_ me… This is a new feeling for me.

Ivy has almost beaten me tonight. If she really wanted to kill me, she _could've_ definitely done it. This new source of power must've been hidden in her all the time, but neither of us ever realized of its existence before. I assume that making her angry was what _triggered_ it. As usual, I'm responsible to what happens to her.

It has been then that I realized she was _something more_ that I failed to see. She usually is angry at me – _but not like that_. That level of rage… I've never seen it before. Her eyes were aflame… I think I felt real _fear._

Then I got struck by a lightning of knowledge and wisdom and I could see clearly: what I had been feeling all day, my lack of interest in destroying cities and killing random people, my desire to hide my stern face from her, my determination to shield me and my weakness from her, from what she might have said,… _everything_.

**I care for her.** I care what she thinks about me and what I do or don't do. I care about what she says, about the way she looks at me, about how she feels about me. I wanted her to see me as a strong, unbeatable being. I wanted her to like me, adore me. I cared if she had felt something for Krillin or that other guy, Akira. I even got wildly mad about it. Now when I see her, I no longer see the _object of my most uninhibited desires_: I see a being capable of caring for me, sometimes wholeheartedly and unconditionally, even though I represent all that she despises in the world. She has _changed_ me… And I bet she's noticed it. But then we're both reminded that I killed her parents. When I remind myself that I have hurt her, I feel as if I _don't deserve_ her… And I know this cannot be undone. _I hurt her badly. Now I love her. She'll always hate me. There's no way back_.

She was obviously mad at me. No wonder. She was yelling at me at the top of her voice. I have started trying to talk sense into her, to no avail, it seems. I think I might've gone too far…

Then, she's gone paler and paler and she's fainted.

I kneel down right beside her and caress one of her cheeks. I sigh aimlessly and decide to carry her to bed. So, I lift her from the ground with ease and take her to her bed as if she was my bride. If she was awake and saw this, she'd probably yell at me for doing this, because she'd think I'm about to shag her hotly in her bed. I probably would if she was conscious… I love the way she reacts to my body when I feel horney…

I suppose she just needs a good night's sleep. Let's see if I can talk with her on the morning. I really hope she's not _that_ angry at me by then…

* * *

_[Krillin's POV]_

As we flee from Cell's new home, we all notice a huge 'ki' springing from the same room I was in a few minutes ago.

"What's that?!" Vegeta yells angered.

"This 'ki' is amazing!" Future Trunks whispers amazed. "I thought _we_ were the only ones left with such a high source of energy!"

"Who is it?!" Gohan asks.

"It's Ivy…" I say marveled, but calm. "I knew it."

"What?! That _female android_ you convinced us to rescue tonight?" Vegeta yells at me. "You must be kidding!"

"Yes, I knew she'd release her power sooner or later." I answer. "Being an android living as a regular human being, I assumed she still had to discover her real 'ki' level. She'll need a good deal of training, but she could be the one to help us defeat Cell. I never lost hope she'd find a way to trigger her power."

"That's great!" Trunks exclaims. "If she manages to get free from Cell, that is. We can help her train, but we need to take her with us to our camp. Any chance she can escape from Cell alive?"

"What if Cell kills her tonight?" Gohan says worried. "She's obviously fighting Cell right now. There can't be any other explanation. We should go back and help her!"

"But we cannot go back." Piccolo states seriously. "We're too battered to really help her. We could die trying…"

We start to argue so as what to do now.

Some minutes go by and suddenly Ivy's 'ki' fades out completely. Cell's, on the other hand, is intact. All of us become paler and swallow hard. _Is she dead?_

We fall silent and come back to our camp to hide and get some rest. And maybe plan something else to defeat Cell…

I feel like killing myself. This whole picture is _devastating_. Too much…

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

The morning light washes her dormant body as I enter her room noiselessly. It feels as if she's never been angry in her entire life: she looks so at ease right now, lightly smiling with those lips that I'd always be kissing, peacefully sleeping and probably dreaming of sweet things. _Not me_, for sure. I wish I was, though…

She hasn't woken up yet and I frown. How long it'll take her to wake up (if she does)? I sigh worried. I don't want her to hate me, although I know that I don't have a choice. _She'll hate me today. She'll hate me tomorrow_.

I should probably let her be. _For the time being_.

If I knew how to write, I'd leave a note for her. But I can't. I wonder if she'd care to _teach_ me.

_… if she doesn't hate me too much._

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

After some hours, I wake up in my bed. Now that's odd!

Now it's midday. The last thing I remember is that I was in Cell's room getting mad at him, as usual. We argued like never before. I fought him, nearly defeated him. Then, I fainted. Why hasn't Cell killed me by now? Did he _pity_ me?

Well, he seemed different at the end. He was trying to talk sense into me and somehow I mentally admitted he was right, but… I think I deserved to get my ass kicked. I behaved defiantly and I tried almost successfully to kill him – and I assume Cell isn't used to that. Why hasn't he beaten me up? Why hasn't he killed me? Has he carried me to bed instead? _Oh, God_… Don't tell me he's _done it _to me instead!

That's when I panic and lose not a second to check if my panties and jeans are still on. They _are_. My blood pressure stops banging wildly in my veins. I sigh and lie on bed for a while, wondering about stuff.

I almost killed him… I guess I could've while I was in the midst of my unrestrained anger. That source of power really felt amazing… Did he _fear_ me? I don't think so. He's still the perfect creation on Earth, so I guess he didn't.

_These stupid __**mix feelings**_… Has he been taking care of me? It's quite obvious because I'm in my bed, comfortable and warm under the bed sheets. He must have carried me to bed… My cheeks suddenly feel as if I'm on fire. Why does this happen to me?! I hate it so fucking much! Oh, please, God, help me!

I feel guilty of having behaved with such aggressiveness yesterday. But he _deserved_ it! He's such a _dick_! And he's my parent's murderer! He's a monster! Good God, he deserved more spleen and more kicks and more…! More of _everything_!

Oh, but I must admit it: he makes me rage as much as he makes me care for him. I cannot help it and I still don't know why. Maybe it's because I've had a human upbringing. I care for those who surround me. I've always done the same. It is an _unbearable_ mix.

I sigh again. I have to choose a path before I go mad. I must get my mind clear. _Sort of nowish…_

So I come clean, no restraints, no more hiding, just the truth, naked and cruel as it may be: so let's review some undeniable facts to help me out. Cell is and always be the monster who has ruined my life. He killed my parents and friends. He's ruthless and destroys cities and kills people for fun. He's trapped me for days and wants to have sex with me… and offspring, too. _Revolting!_

My course of action is then quite clear then: since I _don't want_ this to happen, I must flee. I must use this new power I have to escape; I must train, come back and defeat him. And it's important that I feel determined to do it: **_old Ivy_** **has no place in this world**. So I should stop complaining, stop missing the way things were before, stop feeling sad or useless or weak. Now I have power and I must learn how to use it. I have to focus. And I also have to drop any pity or care or anything that I might feel for him. It definitely won't help me at all.

So I stand up and get some new clothes on. I must have a plan: wait for the night and flee unseen. When I go out from my room, I notice that the place seems deserted. Has Cell gone and left me on my own? How can this be? I check every single room. Unbelievable! _I am alone_! I really am… OMG, It's definitely fleeing time for me! That's my cue to leave asap. So I do it.

When I start walking through the surrounding forest, I keep my 'ki' as low as I can manage following Krillin's instructions and I immediately decide that I have to search for Krillin and the guys. They can help me with this 'ki' thing, to control it and to help me train to get better. If I want to defeat Cell, I must learn how to control it.

But how can I find the guys?

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

I went to get some food for Ivy. She'll sure be hungry when she wakes up. I hope she welcomes it as a **peace offering**. When I come back home, I leave the food in the kitchen, but I don't sense her 'ki' in her room. I go there, just in case. She may have left another note… But now she knows I don't know how to read, so she may not write to me anymore. Anyway, when I rush into her room, I see the bed undone and empty. She's nowhere to be seen. I search for her round the house. Nothing. I call her out. Nothing.

Has she gone? Really? Where to? Is she coming back? _My beloved Ivy…_

_I'm completely taken aback._ I try harder to locate her 'ki', but it's no use. She's nowhere to be found. I get a cold sweat, as if something has happened to her. I have a feeling something wrong is going on here.

Has she considered escaping after yesterday's events? Is she still mad at me? Is she scared? Why do I have the feeling that she won't come back ever again?

But she knows I can _track_ her _down_! I will! She can't escape! She _knows_ she can't… or **has this new source of power enlightened her mind and geared up her will?** Does she really think she can now do as she pleases and flee from me?!

Before I get mad as I usually do, I admit to myself that I wouldn't feel that hurt if I didn't _love_ her that bad. I crave for her…

Suddenly I remember how soft is her skin, how gorgeous she is, how hot she felt for me last night when I jumped on her, how the rocking motion from my hips beneath hers made her jaw drop and her lips part. _I could smell her lust… and she could smell mine._

_My dear Ivy…_

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

I'm quite calm and focused on finding the guys no matter what and no matter how long it takes. I know they must've been training somewhere, hidden. I decide that the best spot to hide and train for battle is not a city, but the woods. Cell wasn't able to detect them when they came in all of a sudden, so they must live nearby and have kept their 'ki' levels low, and approach little by little without being discovered. I know I'm not far from them…

Suddenly I spot Krillin in the woods after a couple of hours. I gasp when I realize it's him. Then, Krillin spots me when he's taking a bucket of water from a well and he is glad to see I am fine.

"Ivy!" Krillin yells amazed to see me. "You're alive! You've escaped! OMG!"

He's thrilled, maybe too much for my liking. He hugs me with vehemence. I should tell him that I don't fancy him at some point… Easier said than done, as usual.

"What are you doing here, Krillin?" I ask. "Where are the rest of the guys? Do you live nearby? How come hasn't Cell spotted your hiding place yet? I mean…"

"YO… not so many questions all at once! Come with me. I'll show you. I'll introduce you to the rest of the gang."

Then, he leads me deeper into the woods. After a twenty-minute walk, he stops and he says and does something I don't quite catch. An **invisible barrier** makes itself visible and it shows us a door made of light. He leads me through this door and, once I'm in, he closes it again. Like in the beginning, the door is no longer visible.

"That's a barrier that **keeps the camp safe and our 'ki's unnoticed**. It's quite handy if you don't want Cell to find you." He says amused, showing off a bit.

Yes, actually that's _quite handy_ bearing in mind that I don't want him to find me either. Good! I sigh relieved. When I look at the surroundings, I realize that they live in a sort of camp just for a few people. I guess there must be a dozen people living here at the most. It's like a small village with only six quite-well-built little huts or tents. There are different areas: the huts, a fireplace, a training area and a small vegetable patch.

As soon as I'm in the camp, Krillin introduces me to a green-skinned little guy called Dende.

"Thanks to him, we have this protection barrier. He created it." Krillin tells me.

"Nice to meet you, Ivy." Dende tells me using a soothing, very gentle voice. "Glad to see you're fine. Some of the guys didn't hope you'd manage to survive, but I see you have! Good: there's hope."

I have the feeling that, in spite of his odd and seemingly-ill skin colour (_Who the hell has green skin? Aliens? Is this a science-fiction movie or what?!_), he's the nicest guy on Earth. As we talk, my presence has suddenly awakened everyone's curiosity. That's why some people I've never seen come around to see what's happening.

One of these people is a woman called Bulma. Her hair is blue and she's absolutely adorable (a bit nasty to some other people sometimes, stubborn or cheeky, but to me she's completely understanding and cheerful). Then, I hear a mild wiling coming from the hut she had come from. It's a baby crying for his/her mom and, when she apologises and comes back to the hut, I understand. In this camp there aren't just the tough guys who have tried to beat Cell I've met so far: there are their families here as well.

I also have the chance to meet another woman, Chi-Chi. She seems nice and all, but she doesn't speak a lot to me, so I assume she's had a tough time recently. No wonder. I'm not going to push her to tell me her own problems if she doesn't feel like doing so. I'm not into gossip or anything. I never have.

Then, Krillin introduces me to Trunks, a tall, very well-built, handsome guy with such cute blue eyes… _OMG_… I've never seen such an absorbing couple of eyes. I could easily drown in them!

Anyway, _before my hormones make a monster of me_, Krillin introduces me to the rest of the males in the group. They're busy training, so I don't want to bother them for long. The only problem seems to be that Krillin _has taken for granted_ that I can stay in the camp, i.e., some guys are uncomfortable with the idea: Vegeta and Piccolo.

I must admit it must _not_ be easy for them to have me around: well, why should they trust me in the first place? They don't know me, so I could easily be a spy from Cell. Krillin informs me that he's already told them my personal story, but they don't have to believe him either: I mean, I could've perfectly have lied to him about my story. Anyway, Vegeta and Piccolo look at me as an _untrustworthy_ foreigner and I totally get it. I would too. The hot scene between Cell and I that they witnessed last night does not help me at all, to be sure…

Gohan and Trunks seem a lot _friendlier_ than these two others, so I guess I really like them. _Good_! For a second I thought I'd have to convince the whole team that I'm not a spy or a liar.

That's why I _speak up for myself_ and vow that this is not a trap from Cell or anything of the kind.

"I hate Cell as much as you do. He's killed all my beloved ones and has held me hostage for some days." I say completely calm and serious. "I assume all of you know how to control your 'ki' and noticed that I was able to release mine _in such a way I never experienced before._ I fought Cell and I managed to survive the night. I still don't know how… I'm determined to learn, train and improve so that I can help you _beat Cell_. That's all. Whether you trust me or not_, it's up to you_. I'm not going to judge you about that. You may have your opinions on me due to the fact that I'm also an android and all…, but if you fear I'll give you away, don't worry, because I won't. Why would I? Cell would find me again and I don't want that. I'm not interested in destroying the world or anything. I just want my life to go back to _normal_."

Piccolo seems a lot more relaxed than before, even though his _horrendous_ skin colour gets my whole attention and I sometimes don't pay enough attention to his facial expression. From the very beginning, I could see a mild hesitation in his eyes, so I guess that this speech on my behalf has cleared some doubts he had about me. Once his frown is gone, his countenance is much more peaceful and gentle. _I feel I can trust him already_, even though I know nothing about him.

_But what about Vegeta?_ He doesn't seem convinced. Trunks tells me aside that I must not worry about him. We spend the rest of the day all together. Gohan is such a _sweetheart_! He's so polite and smart, this kid! He's amazing. And he blushes whenever I talk to him. He shows me around the camp. So do Krillin and Trunks.

Later we spend all afternoon training. Krillin is _incredibly patient_ and teaches me all the basics as regards this stupid 'ki' thing… which is not so stupid after all. I just got into the habit of saying that, I guess.

I suppose I'm the _new kid in town_, which is usually thrilling. Gohan, who I have recently discovered that he is Chi-Chi's son, is very eager to help me to learn to fly, but _shies off_ whenever I do wrong and I need some help. Anyway… On the other hand, both Krillin and Trunks are by my side constantly, telling me things and sharing some tips and tricks with me. Piccolo is not very sociable. He's not the _networking_ kind of guy – but that's fine. _I respect that._

I noticed that Krillin looks meanly at Trunks when I'm not looking. I _need to focus_ on learning, not on who is looking meanly at whom. Anyway, he's probably spotted that I consider Trunks quite _hot_, so he might be _jealous_. Nevertheless, I'm not worried about that. Not now. You know, I have a more serious problem than that: _Cell_.

The sun sets and we get ready to prepare tonight's meal. I help Trunks to get some water from the well outside the barrier when suddenly he whispers to me:

"Look, take this chance to get closer to Vegeta. Usually, he's calmer in the evenings, so he might listen to you now. Try it."

I thank him and do as told.

Vegeta is calmly gathering some wood, also outside the barrier, to start a fire when I come closer to him. At first, I'm clueless as regards what to say, but he looks at me and mildly apologises for being rude to me earlier today. I'm amazed.

"Don't mention it. You really don't need to apologise at all." I say calmly and slowly. "Do you think you can let me stay?"

He nods. We fall silent. I feel the need to break the ice again.

"I will help. _Anything_. Just name it." I sincerely say.

"You're doing fine, I guess." He says with a husky voice, extremely seriously, but as if what he says is a normal thing, absolutely ordinary. "Your 'ki' was an amazing discovery. Train. Improve. We definitely need more help in fighting against Cell."

Then, he falls silent again. He makes as if he's going away to get more firewood.

"He killed everyone I cared for." I say when he gives me his back. "I could never ally with him. I hate him. _I'll never forgive or forget that_."

Then, he mildly turns his head to me and looks straight into my eyes and I'm certain he believes me. We say nothing further and we part.

Later, once I've come back to our camp, Krillin tells me Vegeta's personal story, how his parents were killed by a guy Frieza and how his race was almost extinguished. I see the parallelisms between our stories then… and somehow I feel closer to him. I can understand his coldness. My story might remind him _too much_ his own personal tragedy.

Fate has a curious tendency to repeat itself sometimes…

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

_Ivy, where are you?!_

I've been looking for her for hours on end and _nothing. Absolutely nothing!_

This is very strange. When I couldn't find her 'ki', I started to look for her… let's say… 'manually', i.e. flying through towns and woods and looking around trying to spot her. Her tendency was to stick by urban areas. That's why I've started to look there in the first place. Only two times I had found her in the forest – with that guy Akira.

She doesn't know how to fly, so she must not be _far_. I'm looking for her in the urban areas nearby but I cannot find her. I encounter some survivors and kill them ruthlessly with a stern frown on my face, but it doesn't feel the same. I don't enjoy it. _I feel betrayed_. But I also feel she'd hate me for that and, so_, I feel as if I'm betraying myself_. _Weird_…

I can't feel her 'ki' at all, not here, not at home, not anywhere, no matter how hard I try.

Where are you, Ivy? _My sweet, harmless Ivy…_

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

The following days are hard but fruitful. We train a lot and I'm getting better at fighting.

In the meantime, my friendship with Krillin is getting weirder by the minute. He's very close to me 24/7. I try to be busy at all times to justify that I can't be close to him, but I think he knows what I'm doing. I feel bad about it, though. I need to have a word with him someday…

One night, once we've eaten our meal in front of the fire like the rest of the gang and the rest decide to go to sleep, Krillin stays by my side. When I feel he's thrilled by it, I swallow hard and politely whisper:

"Well, we should get going too. We need to sleep tight. There's a _lot of work_ to do tomorrow."

But out of the blue Krillin gets hold of my hand as I'm getting up and stops me. I turn my head to him instinctively. He blushes and then he makes me sit again by his side. I do as told.

"Ivy, I…" He whispers very coyly. "I wanted to tell you something for some days now."

"Look, Krillin, I…" I whisper politely. "I think there's been a _misunderstanding_. I don't…"

"What?"

"Cell told me something a few days ago about something you had told him during the Cell Games. You _only_ wanted to piss him off, didn't you? I mean, it's not _real_,… is it?" I whisper shyly.

He falls silent and bites his lower lip.

"I'm sorry, Krillin. I never meant to…" I try to apologise.

"You don't need to, Ivy. That's what usually happens to me. I get the _wrong_ idea…"

"But I…"

"Don't worry. It's OK. I get it." He says a bit frustrated, but keeping it cool.

"I feel bad about it. I wish I could've told you earlier."

"_Would you take me if I were the last man on Earth?_" He suddenly asks in a funny tone. He's smiling at me.

I smile at him because he's not taken it as bad as I was thinking he would. I chuckle and say:

"I would. Definitely. You're great, Krillin. You've been a great friend when I literally had no one to help me. You're amazing."

He blushes when I say this and I just smile. Then, I stand up and go to sleep.

* * *

_[Krillin's POV]_

Ivy is great, really. She's just told me the truth about how she feels about me, which is only friendship although I expected more than that, and yet she's able to treat me like a friend and tell me I'm _amazing_.

_I'm so fucking stupid! Why did I fall in love with her?!_

Now I'm alone in front of the fire and she's gone to sleep, like the rest of the guys. Probably I should do the same.

I feel so blue right now… I didn't want to push her too much. Other guys would've snogged her or tried anything on her, but I'm not that kind of guy. I guess I'm a weakling… Anyway. I should probably put out the fire now.

As I'm doing so, I can't help thinking about the way Trunks stares at her when she's not looking… and the way she stares at Trunks when he's not. Her eyes glow when she does so… _Why can't those glowing eyes be meant for me?! _I feel such jealousy burning within my chest! That's when I violently throw a whole bucket of water on the fire and the splashing sound gets Ivy's attention. She takes her head out of her tent, which she shares with Gohan and Piccolo.

"Everything alright, Krillin?" She whispers a bit worried.

"Yeah, sure. Just go back to sleep."

She just nods and goes back inside.

I sigh and turn to the fire again as I bit my lower lip with badly repressed anger. I must learn to hide my feelings better.

Out of the blue, I hear Cell's roaring voice in the night sky, yelling at Ivy:

_"Ivy! Come back right now!"_

He sounds threatening and full of rage. I spot him flying past our camp. Thanks to the protection barrier, he doesn't spot our camp. Then, when I turn my head back to Ivy's tent, I see her standing and staring into the night sky. I think she's just seen him fly past above our heads, like me.

_"IVYYYYY! I SAID, COME BACK RIGHT NOW! OR ELSE…"_

She just gets paler and swallows hard.

_"IVYYYY!"_

* * *

**Hi there!**

**Sooo… this is it for the time being. What do you think of the invisible camp? Handy, isn't it?**

**What about Krillin? Will he let Ivy be and forget about her? Or will he try to do something about it? Is Future Trunks interested in her? Does Ivy really fancy him or is it just a mild, friendly attraction?**

**Do the guys really have no more doubts about Ivy? Or will they suspect she's hiding something? ****_Is she_**** actually hiding something? Will Cell manage to discover where they are? What will he do if he does/or if he doesn't?**

**Don't like, don't read…**

**Read and review! ;) **

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


	7. Chapter 7: The Pouring Rain

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on ****_IVY'S CELL.._**

"Everything alright, Krillin?" She whispers a bit worried.

"Yeah, sure. Just go back to sleep."

She just nods and goes back inside.

I sigh and turn to the fire again as I bit my lower lip with badly repressed anger. I must learn to hide my feelings better.

Out of the blue, I hear Cell's roaring voice in the night sky, yelling at Ivy:

_"Ivy! Come back right now!"_

He sounds threatening and full of rage. I spot him flying past our camp. Thanks to the protection barrier, he doesn't spot our camp. Then, when I turn my head back to Ivy's tent, I see her standing and staring into the night sky. I think she's just seen him fly past above our heads, like me.

_"IVYYYYY! I SAID, COME BACK RIGHT NOW! OR ELSE…"_

She just gets paler and swallows hard.

_"IVYYYY!"_

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Pouring Rain**

_[Cell's POV]_

Even though I've been yelling for her in the empty night sky, she's never answered back. I wonder if she's done what she wanted to do a few days ago: commit suicide to successfully escape from my reach. But she can't: she knows hope and this new source of power is precisely that for her.

_She's gone. She's vanished_. And I can't stand it any longer! I desperately want her back! I feel at a loss as regards what to do. I feel… _defeated_ for the first time in my entire life.

I definitely regret the wild argument we had that night. I miss her very much. I used to feel anger building up within my chest whenever I couldn't have what I wanted, but now I feel different: it's more like _impotence_ instead of anger. Should I go out again and yell until I'm wasted?

Sighing is what I eventually do, and nothing more, but I don't feel relieved. If she's still alive, I would like her to know that I just want her to come back and stay with me, peacefully. I regret not having been able to tell her so, telling her that I'm sorry for everything… _Would she reconsider hating me then?_

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

We train for a whole week and I'm sure I'm making progress quite fast. Trunks has helped me a great deal: he's taught me _tons of useful things besides_ fighting techniques like, for example, he's taught me how to _fly_. **He's also told me the story of the Dragon Balls. **_This is amazing_! You can _literally_ ask for anything! We could bring all the people who have died back to life! I'm _thrilled_ about it like never before…

"When this nightmare finishes, you'll see your parents again. I promise." Trunks tells me using a soothing voice that I adore.

I really notice **he ****_likes_**** teaching me stuff** and I feel I do revive. I suddenly feel the days have a lot more sunshine, that they're worth living for, and that I still got hope. The sun feels warmer on my skin and things can go back to normal, although I know I'll never be the same again, for two reasons mainly: firstly, Cell has made me undergo this hell and it has marked for life; secondly, I'll _never_ be the forever-drunk and _James-Dean-like _girl again. I don't feel like it after this experience. I was _reckless_ and I used to love it, but all that drinking and not caring is _gone for good_.

There's just one thing that I cannot master completely: when I try to release all my power, I get this strange overwhelming sensation which makes me dizzy and then I faint again, like that night. The whole thing starts freely and I feel at ease (although first I must gear my anger up to make it spring from me, of course), but when I feel I can almost control it, somehow I lose my balance and it makes me lose my consciousness as well. Is it a blood pressure thing? Maybe…

"Now, that's a huge problem we've got here." Trunks eventually says, wondering what we can do to prevent this from happening again. "If you get automatically knocked out, then you could get killed. We cannot risk that again."

I sigh, worried.

"Just… don't worry. We'll figure something out." He says calmly with a wide smile on his face.

Trunks is hot, I must admit it to myself. His eyes are beyond wonderful and _he's got the physique of a demigod_. I'll _never_ get tired of looking at those well-built abs, biceps and triceps of his… And I bet I'm _also_ hot for him. He feels like a _good damn country song_ to me sometimes, like summer sunshine. The way he chuckles at some of my comments as he briefly steals a look at me from the corner of his eyes is not sheepish at all. **_I wonder if he fancies me_**_… _I enjoy wondering if I'm wanted… We spend most of the time together, although we're never left completely alone. I'd never get tired of his company – and I bet he wouldn't either.

When I'm alone with my thoughts at night when I'm trying to sleep, I think of him and the way we get on this well. I smile at myself. _Do I fancy him? Yeah, I suppose I do. But just a little bit… just a bit._ I'd hate to rush things, not even in my mind. For the time being, I don't feel ready for any commitment of the sort.

In spite of this, **I still get ****_these crazy nightmares_**** every single night**: I dream of Cell holding me, kissing me, snogging me, wildly grabbing me, arguing with me as if the world would end, staring at me with those strange indescriptible eyes _as if he could reach deep within me and squeeze my soul,_ annoying me to unbearable extents, but making me feel _hot_ as he's holding me… _God_! I can't understand why I have these wild dreams about him!

_I'm safe now_! I _shouldn't _worry about this right now. Not now, at least. Not until I improve and the whole group is ready to fight him again. I miss him _somehow_, **at least I do miss him when he was ****_nice_**** to me**. He can be a real _badass_, but he had _really_ been nice to me: yes, I admit he was able to be like that _sometimes_, when he didn't get carried away by his hatred and irrational anger. I never really figured out whether he _actually_ was playing tricks on me when he was like that or not.

_What if he wasn't?_

I frown at the night air, only to myself. Then, I guess that it'll be not that easy. These dreams must have a secret meaning which _I cannot fully grasp_.

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

Days go by and desperation _cannot overwhelm me more_ than it already has. I can't find her anywhere…

It's getting harder and harder not to succumb to the irrational wish to destroy absolutely everything on the surface of the Earth. Now that Ivy is not by my side, I feel everything is pointless. And then… _I get this wild idea._

That's when I rush flying into the midday air and I yell at the top of my voice, so that the whole world will listen:

"Attention please! This is an important message for Ivy… _My Ivy._ Since I cannot find you, I am going to destroy _absolutely everything_ on Earth if you don't show up. You have **24 hours** to do so. I'll be waiting! You know where you can find me… Come to me Ivy, unless you want me to put my threats into practice."

As panic spreads all over the world, I smirk to myself. Now Ivy's got **no other choice but to come to me**. _Willingly_, of course.

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

When Cell's message ends, I frown at the sky and I know that everyone is looking at me right now. I turn around to meet all their faces. Some are sad, some are angry, some are worried. But nobody dares to speak. Not even Trunks, who is staring at me truly worried and half-helpless, half-angered by this new situation. I get it.

"**_I know what I have to do_**." I whisper seriously as I turn again, but this time I'm leaving forever.

"This is too dangerous. It's obviously a trap!" Trunks exclaims as he stops me grabbing my right arm. "Please don't go."

"_Yeah, right_. As if I had an option." I say blatantly.

"We must stop him before he destroys everything." Trunks says seriously.

"Nice one." Krillin says also seriously, but having his own doubts. "How are you planning to achieve this?"

"Drop your sarcasm, Krillin." Bulma angrily says. "That's not helping at all."

"We must think of something before we run out of time." Trunks says.

"OK, but if no one comes up with anything, she's leaving. No offense." Vegeta angrily says. "Come on. Have any of you got any good idea to save our asses?"

* * *

_OK, so this is it._

The shadows of this bewitching and beautiful full-moon night magically veil our beloved woods and we've finally come up with a _plan_. It's not perfect, but it'll give us _some more time_ to react: we have decided that the best thing to do is to call Cell and deliver a _proposal_.

So, I fly in the night sky and shout at the top of my voice:

"OK, then. Cell, listen to me. This is a _very important message for you._" I say seriously, no irony shielding behind my words. "I am not coming to you, but I have a _proposal_ to make: we shall meet again in a week's time in a **second edition** of the Cell Games. This time featuring _me_. Until the time comes, you shall _not_ kill anyone, destroy anything or… do crazy stuff like that. Just make sure to train before you come."

When I'm done, I fly down to the woods again, I lower my 'ki' as much as I can and come back to the camp. I do this as swiftly as I can because I don't want Cell to spot me or where the camp is. After a few minutes, Cell arrives flying where I was before. Now I know how to spot these things because Trunks has taught me how to notice someone else's 'ki' and track its movements. But when he arrives, he no longer sees me. I'm already home, at the camp, with the barrier up and working.

To our surprise, Cell answers back and agrees to our suggestion.

OK, we have a week's time to train. And _some peace_ in the meantime.

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

I _didn't expect_ this outcome. She's always quite _unpredictable_.

The night air in this spot where she's delivered her speech _still carries her scent_… and I love it. I've missed it so much! Hearing her voice again has _geared me up_ like never before. I wanted to see her again and I feel I _won't stand_ a whole week without her. The _anticipation_ is killing me already… I wish it was next week!

**_… but the thing is I don't want to fight against her._**

* * *

Some days go by and I can't bear it any longer. I just can't wait!

No matter how much I try to focus on training, I just can't keep Ivy out of my thoughts. I swear it's **_a lot easier to sweat blood than to stop thinking about her_**… I wonder if she's training hard as I do. It seems a long time ago since the day we met, but I remember perfectly that she was not _that_ bad at fighting. That's what drew my interest in her on the first place, right before I discovered the truth. She's just a rough diamond, I guess. I wonder if she's learnt how to control her new power. If so, she'll be difficult to manage. _Am I actually getting worried that she may be able to defeat me?_

Anyway, this night is getting _longer_ than the others. As I lie alone in my bed, I find it absolutely impossible to close my eyes and have some rest, although I've spent the whole day working out as harder as I could since the sun has kissed the surface of this lonely place on the Earth.

The rain is pouring with parsimony, at such an unbearably slow rhythm. Large drops of water wash the windows of my bedroom languidly, _drawing long, wet tongues of water which endlessly weave into one another and run down the whole length of these cold glass panes_… and I keep staring at the ceiling, _drowning in the shadows of the emptiness of my room._ It really feels as if the rain would never ever stop, as if I could _never ever stop thinking about Ivy_.

I can't take it anymore and, as I stand up, I sigh and fly away to clear my thoughts. I feel drawn to the night city lights. I guess that some survivors lingered around and decided to inhabit some half-destroyed buildings, ignorant as far as my presence here is concerned. I spot a group of gypsies who have lit a bonfire in the middle of the road and, although the rain is putting out their fire, it's still burning a little.

As I'm staring directly at the flames, which have a strange attracting power over my eyes and whole self, an old gypsy lady bumps into me. It's obvious she can't see properly. Her specs are broken and, when she manages to put one of its lenses between her right eye and me and notices who I am, she panics but her voice immediately fails her. _Her scream dies unborn in her throat_.

"I'm not going to kill you." I say seriously and piously. "I made a promise and I'm going to honour it."

By the way she reacts, it's obvious that she cannot process any word that I've just said. The panic overwhelms her completely and she stammers uncontrollably as she attempts to say these clumsy words:

"T-Take m-my m-money… No! You d-don't need money, r-right? H-Here… I can ma-ma-make y-you an o-o-offer…" She says as she can't help but kneeling down before me.

I raise an eyebrow at her proposal. Things are getting interesting by the minute. Humans are a highly unpredictable race… And I never stop wondering how far they are willing to go to achieve something – or save their own asses.

"I'm listening to you, old lady. _Speak._"

"I-I'm an o-old g-gypsy… I-I have s-seen a lot of th-things. I have a lot of e-e-experience t-telling the fu-future. **I c-can sh-show you w-what awaits y-you**." She says with vehemence, as if I wouldn't believe her, but with still fear lurking in her tone of voice like a thief waiting in the darkness of a poorly-lit street, behind a corner.

"OK, show me." I say patiently to her as I squat down to meet her gaze at the same level she is.

That's when she takes out a **crystal ball** and starts to chant something in a language I can't identify.

"N-Now, t-tell me w-what you wanna kn-know. Y-You c-can ask me any qu-question."

I sigh… and the _only question_ which I can come up with is:

"**_Where is Ivy_**?" I ask point-blank, calmly.

The old gypsy lady _hums_ something else and _her eyes go blank_ and _her jaw drops_. It's as if she's experiencing some kind of _trance_. The rain falls on her face and washes her wrinkles as if she was a mountain and the rain was a river. She doesn't care at all, she doesn't bother to brush the water from her face. Later, she _gasps_ as if she had seen the _most awful horror scene_ in the whole history and her eyes go back to normal. Then, her eyes _stare_ into the crystal ball, where I can only see _shadows, fog and dust moving around and mixing endlessly with one another_. She doesn't say a single word and her eyes move with such a _wild frenzy_ from left to right, bottom-up and vice versa, they spin with such _craziness_ that I sometimes can't follow them properly… and she stays like this for some minutes on end. I wonder what she's seen so far.

"That's _weird_…" She whispers eventually. "I _should_ see something… I can't see it and _yet_ I see it. I sense it."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm having _problems_… I've _never_ experienced anything like this before!" Her voice seems a lot more 'normal' now. I notice that she doesn't stammer at all anymore. "I see the _woods_, I see _movement_… and it's _not the wind_. Someone's there _but I can't see anyone_. It's… as if… they're _invisible_! But I see an old white oak tree and a _well_ nearby… I see a _bucket of water_ being lifted by a _couple of gentle female hands_. And I see she means _a lot_ to you… You will _soon_ find this woman yourself in this spot. You will have an important conversation which will mark the events for the rest of your life. Just be careful with the words you use… A tip: don't worry about anyone else, not even the _potential spies_ of this conversation."

My eyes glow when she mentions this. I don't say anything, but the old gypsy has gone back to stammering and she still begs for her own life. I just let her be, because I know that no words will be able to calm her down. Maybe when I'm gone, she'll stop feeling panic. Therefore, I fly away.

I don't feel like speaking at all: this new knowledge has left me _puzzled_. Should I search for Ivy in the woods now? _Should I start searching from the spot where I heard her voice the last time and try to spot a white oak tree and a well nearby_?

The rain keeps washing my body, washing my doubts too - and _I realize that she didn't actually forbid me to keep looking for her…_

* * *

I fly off to the place that may fit the description that the old gypsy lady has just given me. I start looking for that old white oak tree and the well from the spot where I last heard her voice that night. After half an hour or so, I see an old oak tree from a distance. Let's check if this is the one that the gypsy was talking about…

Then, to my _utter amazement_, **the gypsy's crystal vision makes itself clear to me before my very eyes** and I freeze instantly. I see the well and those beautiful, delicate female hands putting down a wooden bucket of water by her feet. Her long and disheveled dark hair is moist due to tonight's rain, which is gently showering her from head to toes at the moment, and I get this wonderful gift from the rain tonight: I can spot every single curve of her womanly figure thanks to it. My eyes roam all along her hot body as if I had never done it before until I notice she may be feeling a bit cold, since it's late January and her nipples are quite hard and I can see them through the fabric of her tight red shirt.

I wonder what she's doing here on this wet winter night… I hide behind a thick tree trunk and I spy her as she slowly approaches to a lark which has come to the well to drink a bit of water. She _whistles_ a song very gently and the lark looks at her intrigued. It draws its head towards her and after some hesitation, it _sings the same song back_ at her – and she smiles proud_, __**a smile I had never seen before in my entire life**_, and then she picks the bucket of water from the ground and makes as if she's leaving the spot. I suddenly _panic_ – I don't want her to go, ever. _I don't wanna lose the sight of her ever again_. _I wanna see that smile again… and I want it to be because of me_.

I make a mistake: I crush a tiny little branch under my feet and Ivy spots me immediately. The lark flies away, like the cozy atmosphere and the secret intimacy of this stolen moment in time. Her eyes widen, her pupils become smaller and she gasps, scared. _God, I hate that_…

"Don't…" I whisper to her instinctively.

**_Don't go. Don't be scared of me. Don't hate me._**

Which of them do I say first? Which of them would she comply with? (_If any_…)

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

_No, no, no… Cell has found me!_

_Now I cannot come back to the camp_! Cell has just found me. If I go back, **the invisible camp would be exposed**! Oh, God… I have to _pretend_ I've managed to survive on my own here in the woods, that I don't have a clue as regards the whereabouts of the guys.

"What are you doing here?!" I ask feeling rage stirring within my chest.

"You didn't specify that I couldn't keep looking for you." He says as calmly as he can, although a part of him wants to say this with pride and cheek. I sense it. That's what he's done usually. But he _doesn't_. Why wouldn't he behave with cheek to me now?

"But you can't do anything to me – to _anyone_." I point out as if I was trying to chide him. "I said no more killing, no more destruction."

"I know." He says sadly because he knows I don't trust him as regards this issue. "But I've kept my word so far, haven't I?"

"How am I supposed to know?" I say frowning.

"Don't deny it, Ivy." He says with half a smile on his face, but he constantly uses a soothing voice when he's talking to me. "You must've met Krillin, Vegeta, Trunks, and the rest of the guys. You must've been training with them and learning how 'ki' works. You wouldn't be able to keep your 'ki' perfectly under disguise (like you're doing right now) if you really were on your own. And I know you wouldn't dare to take part in the Cell Games on your own, even though you've discovered this new source of power by yourself."

True. The control I have over my 'ki' has been trained and at the moment I'm actively controlling to the minimum so that the guys don't worry about me. I don't want them to come here and risk their lives for me. They've helped me enough already. I have to protect them.

"Well, I'm sorry to inform you that I am actually on my own and that I do dare to fight against you on my own too. If they wanna come, then so be it." I say as I didn't care. He chuckles lightly.

"I'm glad to see you again." He whispers to me sweetly, changing the subject.

I raise an eyebrow at that comment. When I do so, he wants to come closer to me and I panic internally. Then, my mind suddenly decides to _behave meanly to me_: I can't help but staring indecently at him. The rain is pouring over both of us… His massive bone structure is making me literally mad. His well-built chest, arms and abs are not helping either. My eyes _viciously_ follow the outline of his biceps upwards, they _fly over_ his shoulders until they reach his thick neck and they _melt_ when they meet his perfectly manly jawline. For a second, my mind wishes I was the water drops which kiss every inch of his skin as they run over his body…

When did I become a _dirty gal_?! _Holy crap… He's as hot as in my wildest dreams_. Then, I remember every single wet dream I've had of him. I really feel I should pinch my cheeks or something: then I'd wake up in my bed in the camp and it would all be over… just a stupid dream. _Just a stupid wet dream about a monster and me_.

"Don't…" I say, looking away from him.

**_Don't come to me. Don't stay. Don't say nice things to me as if you loved me. Because I know you don't, you can't, because you just lust after me._**

Which of them do I say first? Which of them would he comply with? (_If any_…)

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

She's still distant. She doesn't trust me. _No wonder_. But her eyes spill the beans when it comes to what she really feels as she's staring at me. _And I swear I love it_…

"How did you find me anyway?" She whispers inquisitively.

"I had some help from an old gypsy lady." I carefully whisper back. "And no, I didn't hurt her. I honour the promises I make."

"Good." She nods. "Now _go away._"

"Ivy, let me stay with you. I…" I try to convince her.

"Just go. You _shouldn't_ be here."

"Why shouldn't I? Is this forest _yours_?" I ask blatantly. "Or is it _their's_?"

She bits her lower lip… _God, I'd love to do it myself right now_. I feel so hot under this rain…

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

I bit my lower lip. _FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!_ Why can't I keep a secret from him?! How the hell does he manage to know _everything_ I'm doing?! Or _with whom_ I am?! _Aaaarrrrggg…. Great. Just great. _What can I answer now?

"It's _mine_, you _horrid monster_." I say point-blank, with cheek. "It's my place now and I want you to stay out of it. _Now_." I say swiftly, right about to lose my patience. I must be careful: if we start to argue, the whole situation can go out of my grasp. I can't allow it.

"So they're also _here_, hiding somewhere." He whispers smiling to himself a bit.

Then, he comes closer to me. He's barely at a few feet from me now. I feel so _helpless_ now… I cross my arms over my chest because I've just realized that my nipples are _quite visible through the fabric_ because of the rain.

"How come aren't they coming to rescue you from this _horrid monster_?" He whispers to me and his eyes try to devour my whole body indecently. "Are they scared of me? Are they just cautious? Or are they willing to dump you if I'm _too close_?"

"_None of the above_." I whisper slightly angrily.

"Then, _you're deliberately keeping me away from them, aren't you_?" He whispers very wittily as he comes even closer to me. Why is he so smart? I take some steps backwards almost unconsciously. "_Do they treat you well_?"

"…"

"Ivy, I'm not a _horrid monster_. Well, sometimes. But… I was… _worried_ about you lately… _I can be gentle_; you've seen it in me. Maybe their kindness is just a part of me that you've never seen before. _Or maybe I just need some more practice_."

_Why is his husky whispering so appealing to me right now?_ I can't help it. I stare into his eyes and I see his kindness. It's been there _all the time_. Since he's spotted me, he hasn't treated me roughly, he hasn't tried to beat me, _he's not even remotely angry at me _(as I had thought he'd be because I kicked his ass the last time we saw each other). He's been _worrying_ about me instead…

He breaches the gap between us and gently holds both my arms. I feel the warm skin of his hands quite moist because of the rain.

"I hate not to have you around every day." He suddenly whispers with love in his voice.

I sense he's struggling to say something… It suddenly feels as if he's finding it hard to articulate something. He's like that again: _different_. I see it in his eyes, which pierce mine so obsessively. I can't believe what I'm hearing, what I'm feeling. _Stupid mix feelings! _He sighs and my eyes go wide. I hold my breath.

"I've missed you… _wildly_. I can't bear the thought of coming back home. That building is not my home anymore now that you're no longer there. My home… is _you_."

Once he's said this, I feel the world spinning all around me. This is _madness_… His face is getting too close to mine right now and I exhale some air helplessly before he goes on.

"_I love you, Ivy_." He whispers and he kisses me softly on my lips. He gently puts a hand on one of my cheeks.

I can't take it anymore… I shed a tear, which mixes itself with the raindrops slipping down my cheeks. _Why am I enjoying this?_ _Why do I love those three words? Why do I want this to happen again and again? Why do I feel so hot for him when he's the monster that killed my beloved ones?_

_Am I becoming mad or something? Do I have the Stockholm syndrome or what?_

He stops kissing me.

"Come back with me." He whispers to me with his lips barely an inch further than mine. "Please."

"Stop this." I whisper back.

"Stop what?" He asks whispering. He truly doesn't know what I'm referring to.

"Stop doing this, kissing me and telling me these things." I whisper as calmly as I can.

"W… What?" He asks amazed. He doesn't get it.

I frown and clench my teeth. Later, I sigh and fall silent. How can I tell him to stop messing around, to stop hassling me, to forget about me already without making him so angry that he wants to kill me? Can I possibly say all this politely? Is there a way to do so? (I don't think so…)

"_Go away_. I can't take it anymore." I whisper all of a sudden with vehemence. "You and your games… _Don't you play with me anymore_! I have told you a million times that _I hate you_ and you perfectly know _why_. Now do me a favour and go _the fuck_ away from _me_."

His face darkens, but he never stops holding me tenderly.

"I… I wanted to tell you something, Ivy." He whispers seriously.

"As if anything you can possibly tell me now can change anything!" I whisper back blatantly, with a bit too much pride, I must admit.

"Ivy, **I regret my past behavior**. _Everything_." He says honestly. "I'm _not_ playing with you. I regret our fights, the fact that I kidnapped you at the beginning, my aggressiveness, my pride, my lack of wisdom and straightforwardness, the wild argument and the fight we had _that last night_… even though it has given me _a lot to think about_… _I've missed you very much_. I don't want to anger or displease you anymore. I used to feel anger building up within my chest whenever I couldn't have what I wanted, but now I feel different: it's more like _impotence_ instead of anger. I was wondering if you were still alive (do you remember you told me you wanted to kill yourself?). I would like you to know that I just want you to come back and stay with me, _peacefully_. I regret not having been able to tell you this before and I'm awfully sorry…"

I'm obviously not satisfied with that, even though it's a very articulate apology – but it's not enough. He notices how I feel about this.

"Before you say anything else…" He adds. "I know there's something else. Something _very important_… If I told you that my greatest mistake was killing all the people you loved, _would you reconsider hating me then? Could you ever forgive me?... _Because this is _the last thing I think I have to apologise for_ and it's _my last hope_."

These last sentences fill my heart fully and I freeze. I never expected to hear these words from him… I think I'm blushing, because I feel that my cheeks and ears are getting hotter by the minute.

"If you want me to leave," He finally says looking away from me. "I will. As I said, I don't want to displease you, Ivy_. I care about you. Very much_. I'm just begging you to think about my present apologies and… _make me know on what page we are in_."

_Oh-my-God…_

This triggers in me a _wave of warmth_ that I have never ever experienced before. I feel so hot that I could _vaporize all the water drops_ which are pouring on me right now…

* * *

_[Trunks' POV]_

I'm trying to gather a bit more wood for the fire because we're running out of branches and all, but tonight's rain has spoiled my purpose. I thought I could find some more under the shade of a huge tree on the way to a nearby valley, but it's no use: all that firewood I had previously stored there is also too moist to be burnt.

All of a sudden, I detect Cell's 'ki' approaching and descending near the well. That's suspicious… I frown but I lose no time: I run to the spot immediately as fast as I can, but I know it may take me a while, maybe half an hour or more.

When I get close enough to notice what's happening, I suddenly realize Ivy's extremely low 'ki' and I get afraid. Has Cell found her and attacked her? I approach little by little until I can see with my very eyes what's going on by the well: _Cell is hassling her again_. I can't figure out what they're saying because they whisper almost all the time. Then, Cell kisses her and I freeze. I see he's holding her cheek possessively – as usual, he's _imposing_ himself on her, no doubt about it!

I rage and do my best not to be discovered… not _yet_. If Cell parts from her (I hope so!), I may attack him. I need Ivy to be far from him because I don't want her to get hurt. I know it's against the rules (no more fighting _until_ we meet at the Cell Games), but I'm determined to fight against him to save Ivy.

At one point, I hear her say she wants him to go away in not a very polite way, that she hates him. And then, it suddenly strikes me: what Ivy's trying to do is to keep both her voice and her 'ki' down so that none of us rush to save her! Our safety is at stake here. She'd never betray us! She must know she's doomed and yet she won't unveil our secret spot… _Amazing_.

Will Cell take her away? Will he _kidnap_ her again? She still can't release all her power without fainting after some minutes – which is quite _dangerous_ for her at the moment. She's sacrificing her freedom _again_. To save us.

_It is indeed an honour to know you, Ivy…_

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

"If you want me to leave," I finally say looking away from her. "I will. As I said, I don't want to displease you, Ivy_. I care about you. Very much_. I'm just begging you to think about my present apologies and… _make me know on what page we are in_."

We both fall silent. Only the sound of the pouring rain fills the air.

This was more difficult than I expected: asking for forgiveness, begging her to think about it and admitting that I love her tonight is the successful outcome of a tortuous but fruitful long psychological path. This journey has been excruciating and painful, _but it was absolutely worth it_. She may not forgive me, but I definitely feel a lot better after this! I _needed_ to take this weight from my shoulders. The blush on her cheeks is wonderful to me, a _privilege_ I'm not entitled to have.

"_Anyway_," I say seeing that she's completely frozen. "I should get going…" So I stop holding her (and it hurts me deep within because I long for her touch so _fucking_ much) and turn around.

"Wait!" She whispers back all of a sudden. I turn my head to her. "Are you in earnest?" She asks whispering with _that sweet voice I adore_ (which she hardly uses to speak to me, by the way).

"I am." I say calmly. "But you can choose _not to believe me_. Who would believe the words from a killer, or a _horrid monster_, anyway?"

"…" She hesitates. I see it in her eyes.

"At least someone believes you when you speak," I say as calmly as I can as I walk a bit further from her. "even though you're also a creation by Doctor Gero. They _must_, since you're _beautiful_, unlike me."

"Are you telling me that I am judging you by your physical aspect?" She manages to ask after blushing a bit more.

"_And let's not forget my deeds_." I make a small pause. "But would it have mattered if I hadn't killed anyone? I know humans are quite notorious for judging each other depending on their skin colour."

"_Some_ people don't judge others by their skin colour. _I don't_."

"Mine is horrid. It's _green_. _I would've been considered a horrid monster anyway_." I say as I shrug my shoulders. "You were created more alike them, so you _fit._ You had someone who loved you, who brought you up. At least you had a chance _to be good and be considered to be good_. I _didn't._"

"You never tried." She tenderly adds.

"I guess I'm wasted already." I say looking away from her again and smiling lightly. "I can't make it work now, _not after what I've done_."

Her eyes are constantly on mine all the time and they make me wonder whether she's looking at me differently than before, now that my apology may have soaked in – like the rain in her clothes, which I would gladly dispose of if I had the chance to let my craving roam free. But I must restrain myself.

"**I guess I'll ****_always_**** be bad**, no matter what I say or do now." I sigh and I make a move to leave the spot. I think this conversation is getting longer than necessary: Ivy had made it quite clear that she wanted me gone.

Out of the blue, Trunks appears out of nowhere – and he's obviously angry about my presence here. Ivy gasps when she sees him. I bet he thinks I'm being mean to her right now… I bet he believes himself to be _a knight in shiny armour_.

"Go away, Cell." He says with a serene but mighty voice. "Leave her alone, _you bastard_." See? The _knight in shiny armour_…

"I was going away already, so don't bother." I say with pride.

Trunks then gets closer to Ivy and stands before her, partly blocking my view and raising a hand to her as if saying 'are you alright?' and 'leave it to me'. I can't help but letting out a low grunt… _Am I jealous?_ Sure, I definitely _am_.

"I'm not here to fight against you, because it's against the rules." Trunks says bravely. "But if you insist on hassling her, I will for sure."

"I'm not here to fight now." I say as if I was bored and then I change to a more serious tone of voice. "And don't worry: I won't hassle her anymore."

"Cell was leaving already." Ivy's gentle voice suddenly fills the air.

Then, she places a hand on Trunks' right shoulder to accompany her words and to calm him down. My eyes widen and my pupils get smaller and smaller. I clench my teeth and both of my fists. I cannot bear the closeness between both… She's never done this to me.

_Really_? Trunks? What are you thinking, Ivy? Are you considering him as a valid choice for a partner? Is he _better_ than me? He's _more good-looking_… I get it, Ivy. _So_… you don't judge people by their physical aspect, _do you_?

"I will _rejoice_ in killing you at the Games." I say using my threatening, ice-cold voice. "It's not as though you can possibly beat me, kid."

"Hope springs eternal." Trunks answers seriously.

"Whatever…" I whisper and fly back '_home'_… or that stupid empty building in which I usually drown in my own loneliness and spleen.

I steal one last glimpse at Ivy before I go. She's _worried_ right now.

* * *

**Hi there!**

**Now, this is getting thornier… What will happen? Will Ivy develop more mix feelings than the ones she has already? Will she believe Cell's words? What about Trunks? What does he think his role is in the whole picture?**

**I have some crazy _surprises_ for you in the next chapter, my sweet readers… Stay tuned!**

**Don't like, don't read.**

**Read and review! ;)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


	8. Chapter 8: The Beauty and the Beast

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on ****_IVY'S CELL.._**

_Really_? Trunks? What are you thinking, Ivy? Are you considering him as a valid choice for a partner? Is he _better_ than me? He's _more good-looking_… I get it, Ivy. _So_… you don't judge people by their physical aspect, _do you_?

"I will _rejoice_ in killing you at the Games." I say using my threatening, ice-cold voice. "It's not as though you can possibly beat me, kid."

"Hope springs eternal." Trunks answers seriously.

"Whatever…" I whisper and fly back '_home'_… or that stupid empty building in which I usually drown in my own loneliness and spleen.

I steal one last glimpse at Ivy before I go. She's _worried_ right now.

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Beauty and the Beast**

_[Ivy's POV]_

Cell leaves and I feel **torn**. What he's just told me is… something I had never thought about. I've been a **fool**. I should've been **more lucid and understanding**… And his facial expression was so angry and hurt when he's seen Trunks get in the way. _Why do I feel this bad? Is it because I am guilty for his suffering?_

Now Trunks is staring at the sky and checking whether Cell's 'ki' has gone far enough. I suppose he thinks we're still not safe. Now that Cell has spotted our well, things might be more difficult.

Cell is gone. Nonetheless, neither of us feels relieved… _but for different reasons._

* * *

_[Trunks' POV]_

"Do you think he's spotted the camp?" I ask her.

"No, I don't think so. But who knows?" She whispers as an answer.

We decide to wait some more minutes, just in case he might follow our 'ki's if we go back right now. We sit on a fallen tree's trunk and talk to kill some time.

**Ivy is gorgeous**… _always_. But under this pouring rain, she's _irresistible_. The way she shyly looks at me and away from me is like the purr of a cat: both natural and gentle in her. She's completely soaked and I feel the need to get closer to her. I do. Yes, I do…

I lean close to her face when she's not looking at me, I hold her cheek while I make her face turn to mine and I _kiss_ her softly on the lips. She quivers lightly and shyly parts from me, blushing wildly in the meantime.

_Oh, God… She tastes to sweet! I'd do it again and again._

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

We're waiting. Here. Sitting on a fallen tree's trunk.

Trunks looks _as hot as ever_ under this rain… and yet I feel suddenly _guilty_ every time I look at him. I become _sheepish_ and I think he may have understood this the **_wrong_** way. The atmosphere is not helping at all. It's so… _bloody romantic_!

Then, he suddenly kisses me on the lips when I'm not looking at him.

_Panic, panic, panic! OH FUCK! No, no, no… __**This is so wrong**__!_

He chuckles and I think he believes I'm just blushing out of embarrassment and because I fancy him truly or something – _but I DON'T_! Oh, dear… What should I do now?

Suddenly, both of us hear a gasping sound and we spot Gohan staring at us from a distance. Both Trunks and I blush wildly. _Oh, this is just great_… Now I'll have to endure one of ChiChi's horrible but famous telling-offs because of this. Gohan blushes too and says:

"You were gone for too long and Piccolo told me to check on you. They're worried because we sensed Cell's 'ki' approaching too much… and… huh…" Gohan tries to say, hesitating as regards which words to use right now. "Better get going…"

He shies off to the camp. After some time, I say:

"We should get going, too."

* * *

When we come back, Krillin looks straight into my eyes and he sees my shame and guilt… and takes the **_wrong conclusions_**. _Dear God, why does this happen all the time to me? Do you hate me or what?!_ Krillin just frowns, especially when he sees Trunks, but his countenance becomes worse when Bulma _meanly_ asks us where we were and what we were doing _for so long_…

_Seriously?_ Do you _really_ think we were out in the middle of the forest, in winter, under this pouring rain, to **have sex**? _Are you mad_?!

Krillin must hate me very much by now, but I have neither the time nor the energy to deal with this right now. I just want to go straight to my hut and bury my whole self in my bed. I need some time alone, but Denda suddenly asks us if we saw Cell, because they sensed his 'ki' too close.

Trunks just answers that they noticed it and that's why they didn't move a single inch for so long, just in case they should be spotted by him. _Great, Trunks_: now you feel the need to hide this whole thing from the rest of the group. Meeting Cell is _no big deal_ since nothing has happened – to _you_, at least… **_Besides, I don't need a knight in shiny armour to protect me._** I should _probably_ tell him that if I get a chance to be with him on our own… sometime. _Oh, God… Why must it be so difficult_?

* * *

Later that night, once everyone's gone to bed, I have a mental monologue which resembles a _blizzard_ in its violence: I expose my doubts about Cell, his apology, his personal story, my stupid mix feelings, Trunks' cavalry, etc. **_I guess I'm drawn back again into the old mess_**. What _must_ I do? What _can_ I do?

I know I can fight Cell at the _Cell Games II_ (I can, which doesn't mean I will) and I need to focus on where I (or we) stand before I go into battle, although I still need to figure out how not to faint, but _will I dare to kill Cell if I have the chance? Will he kill me if he has the chance?_

_I don't even want to fight him at all… I just don't want to now. Not after this…_

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

_So, Trunks, huh…_

I clench my teeth and fists.

When I come back (notice that I don't dare to say 'home' again), I sit on my bed feeling utterly **defeated**. Why must it be this way, Ivy? Why did I let myself care so much for someone else? Why did I fell in love with you so wildly? This is _madness_…

My old self would've just **kidnapped** her again. Now I'd be probably trying to get into her pants again on this same bed. I would. _I want her so badly_…

* * *

It's morning already and I haven't slept at all. I don't care.

Out of the blue, the doorbell rings. _WTF_… Who bothers to ring the doorbell at a horrid monster's _hom_-(I mean)-_house_?

When I answer the door, I see a **middle-sized cage with a blond young human female** hopelessly sitting in it, as if she were a strange bird or something. There's no one else nearby. She's frightened and does not dare to say anything at all when I stare at her.

OK. She's sparked my interest. _Now I really need to know what's going on._ So I squat down to meet her sheepish eyes and talk to her.

"Young woman," I use my gentle tone of voice. "what are you doing here? And how did you get here in the first place?"

* * *

"So," I say trying to sum up. "you've been chosen by your fellow human creatures to be _sacrificed_ for the benefit of others in a foolish attempt to **make a peace offering** to me."

The girl nods as she sips from the cup of tea I've just offered her. She sits neatly on the largest sofa of my living room and she's still _stupidly_ afraid of me, even though I'm doing what Ivy suggested in our last conversation: practice to be nice and try not to be judged by my murderous deeds… _try to be good_. I'm sitting right across her on another sofa.

"What's your name?" I ask her politely.

"Taylor." She says very shyly. I can't hear her voice properly because she speaks like a little mouse and I can barely hear her.

"Good then, **_Taylor_**." I go on as gently as before. "You are _not_ a present for me. People are _not_ presents (I suppose…). I _don't_ want you as a present. And last but not least, I'm _not_ going to kill you or anything. Am I clear?"

She nods like a child.

"Please, don't just nod like a little child. How old are you anyway?" I ask her politely.

"Twenty-one."

"Good. You can speak to me even though I'm not asking anything, right?"

"Y-Yes, sir."

"And don't call me sir. I have a name. I'm not very attached to it, but don't be afraid to use it."

"OK… Cell." She hesitates, but does as told.

"Let me see, Taylor. I have some questions for you: _why_ did your (let's say) _friends_ make you go through all this? Why were _you_ chosen?"

"I was **chosen** because I'm nice and beautiful. They thought you'd be satisfied having me now that this girl you mentioned a few days ago, _Ivy_, is not with you anymore. They thought you'd calm down if they offered you another girl instead." Her voice is wonderful and she's definitely gorgeous, I must admit that. Her blue eyes are spectacular. They _did_ make a wonderful choice actually.

"Humans are so _irrational_… and _bothersome_ sometimes." I whisper feeling at a loss as regards what to do with this girl now. "Anyway, I have something to tell you, Taylor. You can retell this story to your… _friends_… if you want, when you go back."

"What? Am I coming back home?" She asks enthusiastically.

"I am not interested in having any other girl around me. I just want Ivy to come back to me, although I know she probably won't. I was able to find her _yesterday_. We spoke for some minutes, but I'm not sure she wants me by her side. Anyway, I'm not going to bother you with the details… The thing is, **you are free to go**. I don't want any presents. At all. I just wish to be left alone. Am I clear?"

"_Alone_?" She frowns. "But… huh… what about the second edition of the Cell Games? _Will you destroy the world after you've won_? So that you can be alone?" She says shivering a bit.

"No, I…" I sigh. "I'm not really interested in the second edition of the Cell Games. I just accepted to take part in them so that I could see Ivy again. That's all. But I don't wish to destroy anything else. I was recently told that it's… _bad_. That I **shouldn't** do it anymore_. So I won't_."

She's making a funny face. It is as if she doesn't get it.

"What? Who? I mean… huh… You won't kill or destroy anymore…? Why?" She asks bewildered.

* * *

_[Taylor's POV]_

"No, I…" He sighs. "I'm not really interested in the second edition of the Cell Games. I just accepted to take part in them so that I could see Ivy again. That's all. But I don't wish to destroy anything else. I was recently told that it's… _bad_. That I shouldn't do it anymore_. So I won't_."

I don't get it. Cell is the monster who has terrorized the whole world and yet he seems a lot nicer than I _expected_ him to be. The way the rest of the people portray him is horrid, but he clearly isn't _that bad_. He was told not to do it, so now he won't. I wonder what's going on.

"What? Who? I mean… huh… You won't kill or destroy anymore…? Why?" I ask bewildered.

"**Ivy is the origin of all this**." Cell says defeated. "_She makes me care_. Once, she told me I had killed everyone she loved and she made me regret it. I truly do. She might not forgive me, but at least I apologized for it. Later, she implied that I never tried to be good. That I should give it a try."

"Oh…" I say. "I see. Like _The Beauty and the Beast_."

"What?" He asks raising an eyebrow.

"The story of **_The Beauty and the Beast_**, a fairy tale in which a beautiful girl is imprisoned by a monster who actually is a prince under a spell." I explain. I'm sure he might not be familiar with it. "He had behaved meanly to a witch because of her horrid physical aspect and she casted a spell on him so that he'd become an ugly monster instead of a gorgeous prince. Some years later, he treated an old man meanly (he hadn't learnt the lesson), whose daughter is the beautiful girl he later imprisons in his castle. She makes him care about being good. He falls in love with her but she doesn't."

He seems to be pondering on what I've just said. Maybe I've spoken too much.

"_Anyway, it's a stupid old story_…" I say trying to make it sound not important.

"How did it end?" He asks looking straight into my eyes with sadness, as if begging me to tell him it has a happy ending. I know he might be thinking about the parallelisms…

"The monster acknowledges that he's been bad and that he has to change, but then the villagers come for him and they want to kill him. They nearly do, until the girl comes back and cries over him, admitting she _does_ love him actually. The beast is released from the spell and he becomes the gorgeous man he was before."

I thought the happy ending would cheer him up, but his face has darkened instead. I wonder what he's thinking right now.

"Don't be upset." I try to say without stammering too much. "This story never actually happened. _It's just a story for kids_."

He doesn't say a word and I fear I might have struck a delicate chord deep within him. _Should I be afraid of him after what he's just told me this thing about being good from now on?_ Well, he's released me from the cage and he won't keep me as a present… He won't kill me, he's just said a few minutes ago. I'm actually marveled at his sincerity and his goodness. I would've never imagined he could be like _this_.

My 'fellow human creatures' have _never_ been this kind to me… Ever. They set me up. I've spent this last night crying and wildly begging for my life like never before and not even one of them hesitated so as to release me or not. They betrayed my confidence, our friendship, the trust I had.

"Anyway, let me tell you something." I finally gather the courage to tell him. "You're doing fine now. I'm sure she'll come back if she sees you're trying hard to be a better man…"

"Yeah, sure." He whispers hopelessly. "**Life is not a fairy tale**."

"My…" I hesitate but go on. "… 'fellow human creatures' have _never_ been this kind to me… Ever. _If I was Ivy, I'd be mad if I didn't come back to you_."

When I say this, his eyes widen and glow. I suddenly feel extremely glad to have met him and I smile to him.

"Can I ask you something, Cell?" I ask after some time spent in total silence.

"Sure."

"**_Can I be your friend_**?" I ask. I know I might be rushing things…

"Do you…" He asks hesitating. "… _want_ to be _my friend_?"

"Yes, if _you_ want to, that is. If not, it's fine. _I mean_, I've…" I try to excuse myself immediately.

"OK." He suddenly says, cutting my speech.

I smile at him and I feel as if now I really _do_ have a _true_ friend in my life.

"_What do friends usually do_?" He asks intrigued.

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

OK. I have a friend now: this blond-haired and blue-eyed young lady, _Taylor_.

I feel weird. Very weird, because I can't stop thinking about what she might think of me, whether I'm good enough to be her friend or not. She's gone back to town right after I told her my personal story from the very beginning. She asked me so I told her.

I wonder if the rest of the people will _treat her well_. I'd be mad if they didn't! _I suppose that becoming a friend of someone implies __**caring for them, no matter what happens**_. I think I begin to understand how this whole friendship thing goes…

Anyway, I should focus on the Cell Games II and train some more. In a couple of days, I'll meet Ivy and the guys again.

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

_This is killing me. I can't take it anymore!_

Right now I'm alone by the well. I said I'd go and fetch some more water, but that was a mere excuse to be alone for some minutes. _God, I desperately need a break!_ I feel _so fucking bad_ about Cell. I _must_ tell him what I really feel, what I really think, asap, or _right now_ for that matter. If not, I'll burst. I need him to know how bad I feel about this.

I have spent the last few hours **getting obsessed about him**, avoiding Trunks and Krillin, making as if I'm actually listening while ChiChi is angrily yelling at me, denying absolutely everything that Bulma asks me as regards my potential affair with Trunks and training like a madman until I'm wasted. In addition, I haven't slept at all.

_I must come clean as regards myself… and Cell._

Facts: **Cell has changed**. He was never playing with me. He's true. He wants to be good. He _can_ actually be good, nice, gentle, _anything_. I kicked his ass and yet he wasn't angry at me. He has apologized. He misses me. He's worried about me.

More facts: I spoke _meanly_ to him. I insulted him. I commanded him to go away. I was unable to give him an answer right away, although it was more than clear that he's changed. I didn't stop Trunks from treating him meanly and _I let him go thinking that maybe Trunks was something more than a friend_, I'm sure about that… And last but not least, I failed to admit to him that I care for him, that I like him. I always have. That I also _lust_ after him. That I've been melting inside every single time he touched me. That I've had these wild wet dreams about him which prove so. That I _adore_ him already! That I don't want to fight against him!

_That I can erase all this mess we're in just by making a wish to the Dragon Balls! If only I could have them and wish that everyone comes back to life and forget about Cell completely…! If only I could do this right now…_

I've been such a badass lately…

I let my knees bend and I fall down on the ground, defeated, in front of the well. I'm an _idiot_. I don't deserve any other more elaborate insult. I feel disgust at myself. _He must hate me by now_…

As I'm thinking this, **I'm crying already**. _Most bitterly_. I hate myself and I cover my face with my hand and sob.

* * *

_[Taylor's POV]_

I come back to town and I feel happier than ever before, but when I tell people about Cell and how he really is, his sincerity and generosity, they just cannot believe me. They don't want to, even though the mere fact of my release should be proof enough that he's a good guy. The people here just think that I've _escaped_ and they try to hunt me down and return me to Cell, lest he should get angry at them and kill them.

"But…" I say in earnest, almost yelling my entire throat out. "you don't understand! He's not a monster! He's good. He can be good! The thing is… no one had shown him how to do it. He had no one to raise him properly! When he was…"

There's no point: they won't listen to me. They tell me I'm crazy and worse stuff… I panic. I get caught and beaten, but not too much. They don't want to hand in a _battered present_ to the mightiest creature in this world!

I cry bitterly when they force me into that stupid cage again and lock me up for the night to bring me back to Cell tomorrow…

_At least now I know Cell is a good man! He'll understand this crap…_

* * *

On the next day, the sun is shining happily and mightily.

"Hi there!" I say as I try not to sound too frustrated.

"_What are you doing like this again_?!" Cell is amazed to see I'm in the same cage again and that they've left me on his doorstep, rang the doorbell and left again. "No offense, but you should try _walking_ here instead of being carried in that stupid cage."

"I know. They just don't believe anything I say." I say defeated, but trying to sound funny. Seeing him makes me _cheer up_ already!

I tell him everything that has happened to me since yesterday and he becomes mad like hell. He's worried about me, which is nice, because now he's my friend and friends worry for one another… but he's so powerful and potentially destructive that I fear he might think it appropriate to go on destroying things and killing people again just because they treated me roughly. I don't want that to happen…

"Cell," I say hesitating. "can I stay here with you?"

He raises an eyebrow at my question.

"I mean," I elaborate a bit more on that. "I can't go back to town again. I don't think I can go back anymore… Could I stay with you, here? I mean, if you don't mind."

"Sure…" He whispers back to me with ease, although it's clear that he's thinking about something else. His look of worry suddenly becomes sterner and he frowns.

"And promise me that you won't kill anyone or destroy the town just because they treated me badly." I add shyly.

"Of course. Being good implies that, doesn't it?" He says calmly. "I don't want to prove that I'm still bad."

I'm surprised at his calmness when it comes to this issue and I sigh relieved.

Then, he offers me some tea and something to eat and he leads me to the kitchen, which by the way is _super lovely_. The morning light is shed over the counter in such a lovely way that it makes me feel as if I were home again, with my parents and my two little brothers. Our kitchen used to be like this… Cozy, spacious, and very well lit. I close my eyes for a second and I think I can hear my brothers running down the stairs, yelling and playing, rushing to the kitchen to get some cookies… If only my home hadn't been savagely plundered and my family, viciously murdered by ruthless thieves…

Anyway, Cell offers me a seat and some tea… and I feel so comfortable that I can't help feeling that this is just _perfect_. _I'd never leave the place_…

That's when I don't say a word, I get up from my seat, I come close to him, tiptoe and kiss him softly on the lips. He didn't expect that to happen… I know he's not a beast under a spell which will become a charming prince once he's been properly kissed, but anyway. _He deserves the treat because I realize I love him already_.

To my utter amazement, when I part from him, his eyes open wide, his pupils become smaller and he gets really tense. He's staring through the window, not at me. Is he having a panic attack or something? Well, I hope my kiss was not that bad… Maybe it was too shocking for him. OMG, I might have pushed him too far…

But then I realize what's really going on. I turn my head towards the window.

"Ivy…" He whispers worried.

And then I spot her: a young woman like me, extremely sexy, with dark long hair… and a _worried and pale complexion_ and an _unsettled facial expression_. That must be Ivy…

_… and she's seen me kissing him._

_I fucked up, didn't I?_

* * *

**Hi there!**

**_Cliff hanger_****! OMG… Now what? What has Ivy seen? How does she feel? And Cell? Did he see that one coming? Will Ivy tell him what she needs to tell him now? What about the Cell Games II, which will take place in 24 hours? What will they do about it? What will Taylor think and do? Will she give up on Cell or not?**

**_Don't like, don't read._**

**Read and review! ;)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


	9. Chapter 9: The Greatest Mistake ofMyLife

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on ****_IVY'S CELL…_**

That's when I don't say a word, I get up from my seat, I come close to him, tiptoe and kiss him softly on the lips. He didn't expect that to happen… I know he's not a beast under a spell which will become a charming prince once he's been properly kissed, but anyway. _He deserves the treat because I realize I love him already_.

To my utter amazement, when I part from him, his eyes open wide, his pupils become smaller and he gets really tense. He's staring through the window, not at me. Is he having a panic attack or something? Well, I hope my kiss was not that bad… Maybe it was too shocking for him. OMG, I might have pushed him too far…

But then I realize what's really going on. I turn my head towards the window.

"Ivy…" He whispers worried.

And then I spot her: a young woman like me, extremely sexy, with dark long hair… and a _worried and pale complexion_ and an _unsettled facial expression_. That must be Ivy…

_… and she's seen me kissing him._

_I fucked up, didn't I?_

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Greatest Mistake of My Life**

_[Taylor's POV]_

I look back at him. He gets tense, although I'm sure he's enjoyed the touch of my lips. He suddenly panics and calls out for Ivy as he flees from me into the back garden. When I follow him with my eyes, I no longer see Ivy. She's gone, I assume.

He's chasing her now… I'm sure he's got a bit of explaining to do because of my fault.

_It felt great, but I think I've just committed the greatest mistake of my life._

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

I leave Taylor alone in the kitchen. I still can't believe what's just happened!

As I'm running through the woods which grow wildly in the back garden and melt with the wilderness of the jungle of this island, I'm getting amazingly nervous. I've never felt this way before_… I just care about how Ivy might feel right now_, because it's obvious that she's come back to me to tell me _something_ about our last conversation that night by the well. I told her to give me an answer as soon as possible and well… I've been hoping this moment would come soon, this moment in which I'd hear her voice say that _she wants me_… or _at least that she forgives me_. **I'm sure she's come back just to tell me how she felt about me.** Tomorrow the Cell Games II will take place and it's obvious that the arena is not the proper place to deal with our feelings. She must have come today _to sort things out with me_…

And now she's seen me and Taylor kissing. _Great_… I just don't know what I said or did to make Taylor think that she could kiss me. But the worst is that I saw her approaching to me, slowly and a pure and saint sort of lust was glowing in her eyes right before she's drawn her lips to mine. **_I could've stopped her_**… I think I could've. I just don't know why I didn't… I feel so _guilty_!

_This could be the greatest mistake of my life._

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

I'm running madly through the woods, running away from him.

I needed to see him. So I came back… I needed to come clean to him, because his sincerity and willingness to become a better man **make him deserve a second chance** in life and I was more than glad to give it to him.

Then, I've spotted him in the kitchen with a blond young woman. _She's so beautiful_… I've just frozen. _My heart has missed a beat_ when I've seen they were kissing each other. I've got paler and run away when Cell has suddenly spotted me in the garden, staring at them through the kitchen window. I've gotten paler, feeling _torn like never before_.

I know he's following me. He's yelling my name in a vain attempt to make me stop and reconsider what I'm doing. But I know I'm not gonna stop. I know he might think he's _faster_ than me, but he still doesn't know what I'm capable of now that I've undergone the toughest training I've ever had in my entire life. I know I'm a lot faster than I used to be! He won't catch me… _I swear he won't_. I speed up and so does he, but he can't get me. I smirk as I leave him behind bit by bit although I feel my heart blown into smithereens.

The hell I've been through these last few days, weeks even, is nothing compared to _this._ I hate myself beyond the imaginable. I can't help feeling this is my fault somehow, since _I left him alone_… _right?_

At the same time, I feel _betrayed_. I can't shake off this horrible thought from my head: has he done this _on purpose_? Has he searched for some other girl to be _my substitute_? Would he dare to do this even though I haven't given him a proper answer? Well, my behavior by the well wasn't _flawless_… _So I bet he thinks I deserve it_.

I cry bitterly as I'm running and try not to sob. I don't want him to see me or hear me cry. _I deserve to lose him because I'm such a bitch_…

Some minutes go by and I can still hear him calling my name in anguish. I speed up a bit more. I would run until I'm worn out or dead. _Either suits me_.

"Ivy!" He shouts. "Will you fight against me tomorrow?!" He eventually asks me yelling.

I _don't want to answer him_ because I don't want him to hear my voice crack and squeal as if I were a scared mouse. I know I'm _losing my balance_, my ability to think _rationally_, my everything, my… Guilt. Regret. _Why am I so scared_? I suppose I can't face this whole thing because it's too much already for this _unstable mind of mine_ which never seems to get enough issues to worry about, I can't handle so much, I feel torn and I find it hard to breathe but I guess it's not because I'm running as if the ground was disappearing from beneath my feet terrifyingly bit by bit but because _the panic breathes and consumes all the oxygen_ I can gather with my poor lungs and I feel a huge pressure on my chest and I feel pangs on the left side of my body… My left arm feels _numb_ and I can hear _distant voices_ which seem to be bubbling words from beneath the water generating numb sentences out of unconnected thoughts and sounds which become _entwined in a crazy frenzy and a madness _in which I truly feel comfortable as if I was suddenly living in a **_Virginia Woolf's novel unable to use commas or full stops or paragraph splits or any sort of proper punctuation and yet make perfect sense to myself_** or any other lost creature who may be descending into Dante's different hell levels…

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

I'm desperate to see her and speak with her. She's come back after all… Why should she _flee from me_? About the kiss Taylor has given me? _I don't love her. I love you, Ivy! I love everything in you!_

"Ivy!" I shout. "Will you fight against me tomorrow?!"

It's the dreaded question I have in my mind. She doesn't answer. Her delicate frame, which I adore and long for 24/7, keeps escaping from me through these dense woods. I really need to stop her if I want some answers from her… That's when I frown and I'm determined to stop her _right now_.

I speed up until I feel I can't possibly run any faster and catch her. I finally do! I know she's been training. It's impossible to run that fast away from me otherwise…

When I grab her, both of us lose our balance and we fall rolling on the floor. I hug her whole body and try to shield her from any harm. When we stop rolling on one another, I look at her. She's got her eyes firmly closed and her eyelashes are wet. When I realize this, I feel a pang in my heart. She's been crying…

"Stop it." She whispers with an angry voice which resembles a grunt. I've never heard such a scary sound coming from her lips. Ever. "_Stop holding me_."

"I'm not going to." I say with determination, seriously. "I don't want to. Not after _this_."

"This… _What_." She adds fiercely as she opens her eyes and aims them at mine as if they were two laser sabers. _God_, that's _scary_, even for me. Her voice is full of venom and yet it's just a whisper. It's even worse than a snake hissing aggressively at you. "_What's 'this'?_"

"I don't want to argue with you now, Ivy. I know _that look in your eyes_…" I say trying to impose sense on her. "and it only means _quarrel_. Calm down."

She grunts and pushes me away from her. I feel hurt. I have been longing for her touch for too long… She immediately stands up and so do I before she starts running away from me again, but to my surprise she doesn't. I keep wondering how come one simple kiss can have possibly caused this wild reaction in her… Naturally, Ivy is unable to calm down and we start to argue. She can't stop pacing up and down all along the same few meters in front of me as if she was a caged lion who wishes to rip off an arm of its caretaker.

"Stop it, will you, Ivy?" I say a bit too angrily and breathing as hard as her. "Stop pacing up and down. It won't help you to calm down at all."

"_Nor your presence_!" She yells back at me, burning both of my retinas with one single glimpse of her eyes on mine. I know she'd kill me gladly right now.

"If you're angry because of the kiss that **Taylor** has just given me, it means _nothing_! I swear! She's just a friend!"

Then, Ivy freezes as if she couldn't believe it and raises an eyebrow at me.

"_Yes, I have a __**friend**_. Does it really strike you as _odd_, especially after telling you I wanted to become a good man? _Can't I have friends_?" I say blatantly and still breathing unevenly. "Are you _jealous_?!" I ask too boldly and raising an eyebrow.

She stops breathing when I've just said these last words. She clenches her fists and teeth. Then, she strides to me swiftly and pushes me with both her hands so quickly that I don't see it coming. It makes me take a few steps backwards, but I don't fall back. She's become destructive and ruthless to me now… _and I've totally earned it_.

"_No, of course I'm not_!" She yells at me. "Why should I when my heart's already _busy_ breaking down to small little pieces, _you idiot_! I've seen how you were enjoying it! _I hate you so fucking much_! You're a patronizing, conceited giant asshole! _Who the hell is she anyway_? Have you even bothered to hesitate whether she's part of a _plan to kill you or anything_?!"

"Why would I? She's nice and lovely! _She's perfect!"_

"Oh, I see. When you kidnapped me, you always kept an eye on me even though I was no threat _at all_!" She chuckles. "So you now _you judge people by their physical aspect_, don't you? She's beautiful, then _she must be good_. That's _exactly_ what **Samson** thought before he got _betrayed and killed!_ _You don't practice what you preach_, I see!"

"_And what about you_?!" I yell back at her. "It's more than obvious that something is going on _between __**Trunks**__ and you_! He's _handsome_ and you can't deny that! You must fancy him! I saw the way you touched his forearm that night, how he responded immediately to your touch…"

"_You shall not make me feel guilty after what I've seen_," She tells me using one of those grunts that make me shiver inside. "… especially because I feel no such thing for Trunks. I don't love him. I enjoy his company. Nothing more."

She seems even more hurt than before. Damn it! It's my bloody fault… again. She sheds a small tear which flows freely on her soft skin and doesn't even try to hide it from me. I swallow hard. I may have drawn the wrong conclusions about Trunks and her.

"Look, Taylor is _not_ trying to kill me. I know." I say trying to change the subject slightly.

"How do you know, if I may ask?! Who is she anyway?" _God_, she's hurt when she says these last few words…

"The stupid nomads that happen to be nearby now thought that I would destroy the world if I couldn't have _you_ back, since everyone in the whole world was a witness to our conversation… so they offered me a _present_." I don't know why I can't swallow my pride, shut up and hug her right now… I just go on speaking harshly to her because I know I've done nothing wrong on purpose and she must know I have been behaving properly, like a gentleman. "They caged her up and gave her to me, but I _refused_ the whole thing. I _released_ her and told her she was free to go, _because that's what good people do, right?_ And then, _she_ asked me point blank whether she could be my friend. _And I didn't see why not, really_. I wanted to know what it felt like having a friend… She might have _misunderstood_ my kindness and generosity, since _she perfectly knows I still have feelings for you_. Because I told her about _you_… **Why the hell are you mad at me now**, _pray_?"

Ivy falls silent for a couple of seconds. My tone of voice resembles too much the one I used back in the old days when I was about to madly jump on her. I regret the choice of some words and my tone of voice immediately, even though I can't help it.

"_Nice speech_." She says seriously but hurt. "**_But you can't undo '_****it'**."

I immediately know what she's referring to… and I fall silent and get paler. But when she turns around and makes as if she's leaving me behind already, I can't help but ask her:

"Will you fight tomorrow?"

She slowly turns around to face me. _I don't recognize her face anymore_. Now she's got the countenance of a ruthless cold-blooded _assassin_. She could easily break a mirror with that look.

"_Yes, I will_."

Then, _I see a devilish grin grow on her face_. I feel as if I've _destroyed her completely_. Now I think I've lost her forever.

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

"_Yes, I will_." I say.

I leave. I end up not telling him all I had to tell him. I _loved_ him. _But I guess that now it doesn't matter anymore_.

_It might be the greatest mistake of my life… but I couldn't care less._

* * *

_[Taylor's POV]_

I'm still waiting in the kitchen when Cell comes back home. His expression is dark and stern. I feel I shouldn't ask him anything at all. It must've been _awful_. He goes past me without saying a single word.

"I…" I manage to whisper. "I'm _sorry_."

He just turns his face to me and stares at me angrily. He wants to leave and somehow I feel brave enough to speak my mind:

"What if you _perish_ tomorrow? I _needed_ to show you that I…"

I shouldn't have spoken at all: his eyes are burning pits of hellish fire now. I shut up immediately and my legs fail to support me. He leaves the spot. I expected he'd chide me, but his insane staring at me is even worse than that. It's obvious that he needs to be alone now.

_Should I stay here after this whole mess I've caused?_

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

**Time's up.**

On the next day, I'm waiting patiently on the arena for Ivy and the guys to show up. I haven't seen either Ivy or Taylor since yesterday. I needed to be alone.

When the guys come, I become angry like never before… I see that Ivy is _not_ with them and I take my own conclusions.

"I'm so _disappointed_, you guys." I say with pride. "Why is Ivy not here with you?"

"_You know perfectly why_." Trunks yells angrily at me. I bet he knows that I love her, that she loved me and that I've recently hurt her feelings. They must know already. They must've locked her up or something. Trunks must be amazingly jealous of me. If he's hurt her, I swear I'll kill him as slowly and painfully as I can…

"If you've _hurt_ her, I swear I'll make you _regret_ it!" I yell angrily.

"_What?!_" Krillin asks bewildered. "What the hell is he talking about?"

"You've got _guts_… Don't pretend you don't know about it!" Trunks yells angrily at me. His eyes are full of a lover's fire and eagerness to rescue his dear princess in distress. "_We know you kidnapped her yesterday_!"

"_WTF are you talking about_?!" I yell back at him with utter amazement. "I haven't kidnapped her… _Seriously_, guys."

"_Liar_!" Gohan yells at me. He's got his fists and teeth clenched. I can see he's just about to shed a tear. The poor kid must feel quite attached to her.

"I swear I _didn't_." I say seriously and I begin to worry about Ivy. What has happened to her since yesterday then? Where did she go after I saw her last? "I said I would not harm anyone, kill anyone or destroy anything. And I've kept my word."

Silence. The soft winds blows and no one dares to speak again.

"I think he's telling the truth." Krillin whispers to all of them. "If she's not with him or with us, then… **_where is she_**?"

* * *

**Hi there!**

**This chapter is slightly shorter but I needed to cut it right here… to have a good cliff hanger! ;) **

**Anyway, ****_key question_****: where is Ivy and what has happened to her? Will the Cell Games II take place anyways or will they call them off? In addition, what has happened to Taylor in the meantime?**

**Read and review! ;)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


	10. Chapter 10: The Cell Games II

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on ****_IVY'S CELL…_**

"_WTF are you talking about_?!" I yell back at him with utter amazement. "I haven't kidnapped her… _Seriously_, guys."

"_Liar_!" Gohan yells at me. He's got his fists and teeth clenched. I can see he's just about to shed a tear. The poor kid must feel quite attached to her.

"I swear I _didn't_." I say seriously and I begin to worry about Ivy. What has happened to her since yesterday then? Where did she go after I saw her last? "I said I would not harm anyone, kill anyone or destroy anything. And I've kept my word."

Silence. The soft winds blows and no one dares to speak again.

"I think he's telling the truth." Krillin whispers to all of them. "If she's not with him or with us, then… **_where is she_**?"

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Cell Games II**

_[Cell's POV]_

We stare at each other at a loss as regards what to say or do. We're all petrified. For a second, I don't get carried away and get _suspicious_: _why should they tell me the truth?_ They could be lying about it, right? I do believe they know that Ivy and I love each other and they must've found a way to unsettle me using this as an excuse. To be able to beat me and _kill_ me…

"Are you quite _sure_ you don't know where she is?" I say suspiciously. "Because I'd hate it if you were trying to _fool me_ into a stupid _trap_ of yours."

"This is not a **trap**. We're telling the truth!" Krillin yells back at me as if he couldn't believe what I've just said. "_Incredible_! He's the _monster_ and now he believes _we_ are the ones who might be hiding something!"

I don't know whether to believe them or not, but just in case I'll be ready for _anything_. They won't unsettle me.

"Come on, something's clearly happened to her!" Gohan yells at all of us. "We have to think where she might be and try to find her! She might be in trouble…"

"Gohan is right." Piccolo adds with a serene voice which resembles a whisper and which I can't hear quite properly. "We should find her before the games start. Remember she's the key to beat Cell. Her power is amazing."

Vegeta gets angry at this comment and yells some swearwords madly at him and everybody who dares to speak any further.

"**We need her**, Vegeta." Trunks tries to talk sense into him to no avail. "She's good enough to fight! _More than just enough_, in fact!"

"I can't track her 'ki' anywhere. I haven't noticed it since yesterday." Krillin says seriously worried. "Can you guys spot her at all?"

None can. Neither can I.

"Who saw her last?" Gohan asks.

"I saw her…" I say seriously and all their heads turn suspiciously to me. "… yesterday morning. She was walking. She reached my housea and then she ran away."

It's not 100% the truth, I know, but they cannot blame me for telling lies. I haven't told _any_ lies; **_I've just been economical with the truth_**… As I'm thinking this, they all stare at me in disbelief. I'm sure they think I'm guilty of killing her or something.

"I could speak with her for some minutes but then she went away." I add. "Did she come back to you then?"

"No," Gohan answers quite boldly for his age and the situation. "she never came back. I saw her last yesterday early morning, at 6:00 AM. She woke me up to tell me she was going to get some nuts and water and other stuff, that she'd train some more on her own and be back by night. She told me not to wait for her. But she never came back."

"I suggest we call the games off until we find her. It's the most sensible thing to do right now." Piccolo says calmly.

"No _fucking_ way!" Vegeta argues back _wittily_. "I have to fight against him! Right now! I will beat him _in less than five minutes_ and kill him!"

Vegeta obviously doesn't wait for anyone to support his ideas and flies straight to me with the intention of knocking me down. I can't hide the fact that I like kicking his ass, so I do it and brag about it as blatantly as I want to. Anyway, I have to stop him because I needed to say something before the Cell Games II should start. I've been pondering about it since the night Ivy suggested to have this second edition of the Cell Games:

"_Wait, Vegeta_." I say seriously but calmly. "Your pride and eagerness to fight are most _inconvenient_, since I wanted to make the rules quite clear before the games started. That is, if you don't want to shy off and back out from our deal using Ivy's vanishing as an excuse."

Vegeta clenches his teeth but shuts up, so I'm content about it. The rest do so too and frown. I know they're truly worried about her and so am I, even though I'm not _outwardly_ displaying my palpitating worry for her well-being. I guess they'd love to search for her right now, but I'd rather have them busy here fighting with me than discovering her whereabouts and preventing her to come back to me. They shut up and let me speak again. _They're not going anywhere near her… I swear_.

"Good," I go on. "let me lay some rules down before we officially start. Firstly, the party who wins will decide over the fate of the whole planet and the lives of all his opponents, whether they live or die. Secondly, no other Cell Games will be held after this one. All fates will be sealed today. And last but not least, if I win, **_Ivy is mine_**. _Forever_. _No buts_."

Ivy would be shivering at this comment if she were present. They stare at each other seriously for some time. They must know that this is it. They accept the conditions eventually.

"OK, so I suppose Vegeta is the first to try his luck today." I say playfully.

"I don't need any luck! I'm the Prince of Saiyans! I'm the strongest creature of the entire universe!" His pride might not let him elaborate more on the matter because he constantly repeats the same old sentences every single time we speak. I bet he's trying to bore me to death or something…

Anyway, after half an hour of intense fighting, I wound him badly and knock him out. He's been hard to beat, but I enjoyed it a lot. He totally deserved it. He's a spoiled brat, like his son, who's looking intensely at me right now. I know he's next…

Trunks tries hard to beat me. He strikes hard and I know he's become stronger these last few days. Due to the training? _Yeah, maybe_… But I guess his strength might have a _psychological origin_. He's got plenty of reasons to _hate me to death_: I've beaten his father millions of times, I've beaten himself as well on several occasions, I've become close to Ivy and made her part of the deal we've agreed on earlier today before the games started. Her dear Ivy, I guess… _The look in his eyes is undoubtedly of a man in love. He can't lie to me about that._

I smirk at him when I recall Ivy's words yesterday… That she doesn't love him. That she just enjoys his company. _Nothing more_. I bet this information would make him break down, so I gladly use it:

"You know what, Trunks." I say playfully to him as I'm choking him from behind with one arm and hold both his arms with the other. "When I spoke with her yesterday, she told me some interesting story about you."

"_WTF are you talking about_?!" He says almost breathlessly.

"_Save your breath_, Trunks. You'll need it to survive."

He doesn't say anything else and I chuckle and go on.

"I was wondering if Ivy and you had… _something_… going on between you. You know, something I could use to have a reason to _rip your heart out_ in a nanosecond the minute I got the chance today. _I asked her whether she loved you_ or _not_…"

I don't choke him completely because I want him to live enough time to show me how hurt he is when he learns the truth about it.

"And do you know what she told me?" I make a crucial pause. "She knows you fancy her, but she doesn't love you. At all. She got _disgusted_ at the thought of it…"

"_You're lying_!" He says almost breathlessly.

I smirk because I knew he'd say that.

"You're _desperate_ to make her love you… But she _can't_ love you. You're a _monster_!"

I freeze. I can't stand the thought of this being true, although I recently had the same idea myself a few days ago.

"This is just a strategy to distract me, huh?" He tells me.

"I would say the same to you, kid." I whisper malignantly but seriously. My calmness strikes him as odd. "_What_?" I ask him seeing that he's expecting me to say something else, to insult him or brag about Ivy. Losing my patience, I do go on. "Look, kid. I don't _need to lie _or _brag _about this. That's what she told me. Actually, she came to me yesterday to give me an answer so as to come back home with me or not. I just asked about her feelings for you and she answered that. Just saying."

I let him fall on the ground before me and he coughs wildly. He tries to regain his breathing rhythm to normal as I let him be for some precious seconds. Then, he just falls silent. I expected him to react angrily and to jump on me to knock me out, but he just doesn't. He just clenches his teeth and both his fists and looks back at me as if he couldn't believe my last few words. I really do believe he's thinking I've spoken my mind with the truth.

"Come on, get up and fight!" I have to yell at him.

He does as told but this recent piece of news has made him unstable and he loses concentration. I get this chance to knock him out. It was so fucking easy…

"Who's next?"

Later, Piccolo tries. It's not a long fight, but I enjoy it. He gets knocked out too. Right after Piccolo, Gohan wants to fight against me. Poor kid, I know he's quite good and he's definitely improved since the last time we met, but it's not enough. I beat him too.

When there's only Krillin left before me, I chuckle at the mere thought of the fate of poor Earth, _depending entirely on Krillin's ability to beat me_. _Pigs may learn to fly_ before the chance of this happening comes about! Fortunately for him though, Ivy unexpectedly shows up. Both of us gasp when we realize it's _her_. She's battered and badly injured. Something must've happened to her! _Something real bad_… I get worried about her again. So does Krillin. I can see that when she approaches him from behind and he rushes to her to help her. She can't walk properly.

"_What the hell has happened to you, Ivy_?!" Krillin asks her madly worried about her well-being.

He makes her rest on the ground and keeps looking back at me just in case I come any closer.

"Yesterday… **_I got slain on my back_**…" She says while anger is wildly tearing her inside out. I immediately know what's she's talking about and feel the weight of guilt on my chest. "… and later I got caught by a group of ruthless nomad guys. They've been torturing me… _all… night… long. _They recognized me. I don't know how, but they did." She falls silent for some seconds. "_You have no idea what they've done to me_…" Her voice is a mad whisper full of hatred, evil and hopelessness at the same time.

"Ivy…" I say gently.

"Stay away from me!" She yells back at me. "I was lucky I could fight against them _without_ using all my power. Otherwise I would've killed them and I would've fainted. I didn't rise my 'ki' because I didn't want any of you to get involved in this… I'm sorry. _Maybe I should've_." She says apologetically to Krillin at the end.

* * *

_[Flashback_: _Ivy's POV]_

"Stop it! STOP IT ALREADY!" I yell in despair. "_Aaaahhhh!_"

Like a desperate Briseis being kidnapped and played with by the soldiers who sieged her beloved Troy, I yell when some strange men hit me and ravage me. I squeal when they poke the fire with a burning piece of metal and then they brand me with it. They hold me and tie me up in the process. But why are these men doing this to me?

_Because they know who I am. I'm Ivy: Cell's source of obsession._

"I'm not HER!" I desperately try to deny it so that they leave me alone. "I'm not Ivy… I swear to God I'm not her…! Please, stop it! I'm not…"

They call me names and enjoy my suffering. They insist on the fact that I should've come back when Cell asked me to, because they assume that then Cell would've left them alone and live in some sort of "peace".

I can't help but wondering how come they know what I look like. Cell is famous all over the globe because he appeared on TV when he announced the Cell Games for the first time. People could only hear my voice and my name when Cell and I had that public conversation in which we announced the second edition of the Cell Games.

Anyway, these thoughts don't go on for long because I've got a lot of torture to undergo right now…

At one point, some men imply that they want to have some fun with me. When they come closer to me, I fight back and I'm about to release all my power, but I don't. I just summon enough strength to beat those guys and escape as fast as I can.

From a far-away dark corner, I think I see that a blond-haired young girl has been spying all along and overhearing my poor pleas for mercy. _Does she bit her lip and cry bitterly due to regret and guilt?_

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

Cell has been listening and I can tell from his face that he's devastated. Krillin offers me one of those magic beans and I swallow it gladly. I will need it to kick Cell's ass right now… _for being such a pain in the ass and… for Taylor_. Why did she give me away anyway? Was I really such a huge threat to her? _Anyway_… As if I cared!

"You should've run away from them and come back home." Krillin softly tells me.

"No. _I went to them._ I was looking for them. I _wanted_ to find them." I whisper with determination.

"But why did you go?" He asks me then.

"To get some information about T-…" I whisper back, but I hold my tongue. Krillin doesn't need to know about Taylor yet. "_Never mind_."

I must try now. All the guys have been recently knocked out, although Trunks is giving signs of his recovery. I think he's waking up… Once I recover all my strength, I swallow hard, walk up to Cell and fight against him.

Cell frowns when I check Trunks for any sign of wakefulness, but his frown disappears when I stare back at him and walk up to him. I believe he's glad to see me again, safe and sound. Anyway, he _always_ is. The only thing that really bothers me is that he may not consider this a proper fight, because he knows I'm still mad at him and I know he's madly in love with me.

So this is it. Yes, he's _not_ taking this seriously and, even though I tell him so, he just doesn't care. That makes me rage to an unknown extent, but I don't release all my power just yet. He smiles in such a way that I'd swear he's getting horny about me right now… We fight for a long time and after some minutes I can see how Trunks stares and gets impatient and tense. He doesn't like Cell to touch me, I guess. It's not a secret, though: Cell realizes the amount of tension reflected in Trunk's 'ki' level and smirks at him. He's not hiding from it and I realize of it, of the fact that both of them are having this _macho_-pride silent fight over me. _I so fucking fed up with already._

"You're not paying much of attention, you know." I tell Cell sarcastically.

"I _am_." He answers seriously.

"I know what you two are up to." I say also seriously.

Then, Cell stops paying attention to Trunks and stares at me very intensely.

"_I've missed you_." He whispers soothingly. I stop staring at him all of a sudden.

He tells me Taylor's kiss means nothing to him, that he tried being good and that he had accidentally found a friend in her. He seems to say this in earnest… A part of me is still mad about the whole thing, but the part of me that misses him and loves him seems to win the battle right now. When I come to this realization, I notice that we're both fighting quite reluctantly. We're quite even for the time being and we never stop to catch our breath.

The fight moves bit by bit into a desert area close to a forest, like a canyon. I cannot see Krillin, Trunks and the guys anymore. After some minutes of intense fighting and arguing (I really don't know why we argue so much and I almost think I can no longer remember why I'm so fucking angry), Cell gets closer to me.

"_Gotcha_!" He says amused when he gets behind me and hugs me. By the way he's holding me, his intention is not to hurt me or anything. I think he just wants to hug me – as simple as that – as he'd done it before, softly, tenderly.

"I know you're still mad at me." He softly whispers to me directly into my left ear.

Since I didn't expect that to happen, I _moan_ _unwillingly_ all of a sudden. This drives him insane and triggers in him a sudden urge to _take_ me. _How do I know_? Well, let's just say that my dear ass notices a sudden _change_ right behind itself. His manhood is craving for me as much as an alcoholic craves for alcohol…

"You know what you're doing to me, _don't you_?" He goes on whispering to me as he shifts the position of his right arm and hand down to my hips so that he can push them _towards his own flaming body_. And _God_, believe me when I say this feels _amazing_! (And then I spot a shimmering little note in the back of my mind which says that I've never felt like this before with any other male: that I should start _admitting_ that, for starters.)

The angry tension we were feeling disappears completely. It is as if we had _never ever_ fought in the first place… _How's that_? Anyway, I think he's feeling the same because we've both frozen. We're unable to say or do anything further, as if we're still trying to process this. And basically, _my main problem now_ is dealing with the fact that I'm right at the door of the _lion's den_… He's the typical _bad_ guy –who willingly wants to be better for me, and that's _hot_ like hell, let's face it– and I feel as if I am staring indecently at the mouth of my own grave… although I know he won't kill me. _He wouldn't, would he?_

"You _like_ it, huh, dear Ivy?" He says proudly then.

I cannot believe myself, because I do. I do not answer. I just turn around and kiss him wildly instead. I bet he's _stunned_ at my sudden reaction.

Widely ignoring the fact that we're in the open air and that someone could be spying on us, he strips me down – and I _let_ him. This kiss becomes something else, something way more _animalistic and hopelessly obsessive_ than anything else that we've ever done to each other. He's suddenly too strong and I feel suddenly too weak. The air around us becomes too hot to bear. I feel this madness escalating higher and higher until I feel I can no longer reach out for air, as if there could never be enough.

Then, he starts _teasing_ me. He not-so-gently-as-other-times-before caresses my exposed skin all over: my shoulders, my neck, my back, my beasts, my thighs,… I barely have some time to display the same type of affectionate little touches when he grunts like a beast which is begging to be released, clenches his teeth and mercilessly takes me.

I gasp at the sudden intrusion in my body. I _slap_ his god-like face once with vehemence. He's not hurt me, but I dare say I expected some more delicacy! As an answer he just chuckles and smirks at me as he starts to pump into me slowly, but with cheek and determination (we both know I was wet for some time now, so there's no point in trying to deny it). I just drop my jaw in amazement – and he loves it and goes on. Then, as an answer, he snogs me wildly, but I'm as _eager_ as him.

He ploughs deeper in me. When I break the kiss, I whisper.

"I hate you, Cell." I sigh. "Why can't you be a good, normal guy?"

This unsettles him exceedingly. He suddenly stops ploughing me.

"Would you _really,_ _really _like me if I were? Would you be satisfied?" He whispers back seriously. "Would you stop fleeing from me? Because I tried to be good and I swear it has turned out good. I swear I can do it, Ivy. Would you stay with me, Ivy?"

"I would." I say completely sure about it, without thinking it twice.

Then, he goes on ploughing me, but wilder than before. I moan and he finds it hard not to release immediately.

"_I can offer you a clean slate_, if you wish." I whisper, gasping.

"What?" He whispers amazed.

"I can make you a good man… _Completely_… If you wish. _No one would ever remember the harm you've done_… And you'd have _me_…"

He seems to take this into deep consideration.

"_But how can you possibly do that_? It's impossible…"

"Do you trust me?" I whisper back, staring deeply into his eyes with all my sincerity in them. "_If you love me, be good to me and trust me_… _please_."

"I love it when you _beg_…"

We fall silent and shag hotly. He hugs me even more tightly than before. After some minutes, he's getting wilder and starts speaking again, between gasps and grunts:

"_Tell me you love me_." He's really excited.

I say nothing. I just bite my lower lip. Saying this sentence out loud is still in my to-do list.

"Tell me you _love_ me. I know you _do_…"

How do I get out of this one? _Huh_… well, I obviously have _no_ way out. _Impossible_. I should probably admit it and come clean once and for all. I just hate it when he says this _as if he was fully in command of this whole thing_! _God, I hate it!_

After a few seconds (seeing that I just don't open my fucking mouth to say it), he speaks again, this time with a more soothing and serious voice:

"_Make me a good man, Ivy_." He whispers to me with all the sincerity in the world. His eyes are sad and he's trying to comfort me the best he can. "I cannot mend what I've done and I hope that you can forgive me someday… I regret all the harm that I've caused on you. I wished it had been different… If you let me, I will cherish and love you in the best way that I can, even though I'm a cruel, ruthless monster who just knows how to destroy things. Do you think you can love me?"

I stare at him and it seems as if time has frozen. _I wish I could listen to these words all over again until the end of time_. Then, he hugs me tenderly and starts to gently kiss my skin, all over the place. I get goose bumps like never before. He starts that old rocking motion again and I moan gladly. God, why…? I should come clean NOW.

"If someone can make me good, it's _you_, Ivy. _No one else can_…"

_We shag hotly, we gasp, we moan, we let it go_. I can't breathe properly… I'm about to faint, I think. He really enjoys me moaning.

"Mmmh… What about the Games?" I ask at one given point.

"I don't _fucking_ care about the Games!" He grunts and then he lovingly bites my neck.

"_I love you, Cell_." I say then, gently.

This triggers in him the wildest of desires and he shags me even more hotly, he holds me very tight and eventually both of us cum.

That was… was… was…

I still need to tell him how I can grant him a clean slate; I still need to tell him about the _Dragon Balls_.

* * *

**Hi there!**

**Hope you enjoyed the show! ;)**

**Yes, they did finally it! ****_OMG_****, now what? What about the Cell Games II? Will they run away and look for the Dragon Balls on their own or will they make their affair public? Will the guys understand this? Do you think they will let Cell use the Dragon Balls to be forgotten by everyone in the whole world? But most importantly, will he accept it?**

**Read and review! ;)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


	11. Chapter 11: The Oblivion

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on ****_IVY'S CELL…_**

"If someone can make me good, it's _you_, Ivy. _No one else can_…"

_We shag hotly, we gasp, we moan, we let it go_. I can't breathe properly… I'm about to faint, I think. He really enjoys me moaning.

"Mmmh… What about the Games?" I ask at one given point.

"I don't _fucking_ care about the Games!" He grunts and then he lovingly bites my neck.

"_I love you, Cell_." I say then, gently.

This triggers in him the wildest of desires and he shags me even more hotly, he holds me very tight and eventually both of us cum.

That was… was… was…

I still need to tell him how I can grant him a clean slate; I still need to tell him about the _Dragon Balls_.

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Oblivion**

I lie on the floor beside him. I think we fall asleep. Well, at least I do.

Hopefully no one has come looking for us. _What_?! Am I _ashamed_ of being found next to him? To be in love with him? To have _willingly_ fucked with him? Well, I just _may_, right! _One thing at a time_. I need to focus. Let's see:

The guys will hate me for this. I'm deadly sure about it. Is there a way to make them see that Cell can be trusted? That he really wants to become a better man? (I know he's _not_ human, but that's the way I'm used to talk about beings who are able to talk.)

Will the guys let me use the Dragon Balls on him? I know we can manage to be all happy about it, so that we all get what we want.

What about Trunks? Will he get mad at me? I didn't have enough time to make matters clear between us… _Ugh_…

What about Taylor? I'm sure she's the one who told those guys about me. This issue cannot be fixed. It just happened. Should I be mad at her? Should I blame her now that she's Cell's friend? Maybe I just shouldn't… Maybe she was just blackmailed or something, God knows… Should I tell Cell anyway?

When the whole thing is settled and I meet my friends and family again, will Paul get mad at me? I know we had a… _thing_… Anyway, this is the least important of my problems _today_. _Gee, what a list_!

I turn to face him as we lie on the ground and I see his blissful countenance as he stares back at me. I swear I notice how time freezes and the world suddenly is _nothing_ to me. I just couldn't care less about what other people will say or think about Cell and me. _I know I love him and he loves me truly_. And that's the _only thing_ that matters now.

"I've never seen you _this_ happy before." I whisper to him with a huge grin on my face.

"I could say the same, Ivy." He says as he smiles back at me and rolls on top of me.

I'm still naked and I feel our skins touch one to one, still hot due to intercourse and today's bright sun. It may be the strange climate of this area, because I'd never say that it's winter! This bright, warm sun showering all over us is magnificent. It reminds me of some late spring weekends I had spent in my grandparents' loft at the beach.

Anyway, the sun is perfect today and I have the perfect man by my side… Well, on top of me right now, to be more precise. I welcome the heat of his own perfect body in the same way I welcome his lips over mine and his tongue in my mouth. In a matter of seconds, the kissing becomes snogging and we're both mad about it. He grabs my waist with one hand so he makes sure he's got me pinned down on the floor (although I'm definitely not going anywhere, I swear) and he holds my cheek with his other hand. In the meantime, I hug him with my arms over his shoulders.

Our sweet sweat slowly flows over our skins. Our tongues dance in unison. He breaks the kiss and slowly takes his tongue out of my mouth, but he keeps playing with my own tongue, caressing its wet shape all along with his, making our fluids mix. God, I could stay like this _forever_…

A small cloud makes its way past the sun and gives us some shade for some minutes. In the meantime, he starts to kiss my shoulders, neck and ears, which makes me shiver all over and moan with pleasure. I bet he loves it as much as I do because his eagerness is like a rocket which is increasing its power and speed as if he wanted to reach out to the moon. His manhood is up and ready for some action as well. I can notice it hot and tense on the skin of my left leg.

"Cell…" I whisper softly, as if I was powerless. "what if they find us?"

"I couldn't fucking care less." He boldly whispers back at me directly into my ear and then he swiftly slides his right hand down my inner thighs, but not before he's traced a line all over my skin with his sharp-edged black nail of his forefinger… God, I love that. It makes me feel _so weak_ right now.

Once his right hand is in my inner thighs, I feel I'm moist and ready for him already. I bet he'll love it and he'll smirk at me when he finds out… But he doesn't touch my cunt just yet. I feel partly disappointed, but I know he might be saving it for later. I bite my lower lip and the lips of my cunt hopelessly throb once or twice in eager expectation, missing the contact of his fingers already… I wonder what he's thinking right now. As I'm pondering on these and other thoughts, I close my eyes and let myself enjoy his touch and grip on me. He's still kissing my shoulders and neck, but his lips are gradually letting this tongue lick my exposed skin. Eventually he licks my right ear with delight… I gasp and moan due to my amazement. It feels so _fucking goooood_… My skin displays goose bumps all over the place.

Then, he leans all his weight on my ribs, stomach and legs and then he not-so-gently gets hold of one of my tits with his left hand. He strokes it and plays with my nipple, which gets hard due to the teasing he's imposing on me. I feel _drunk_ of his touch and unbeatable desire.

Another cloud makes its way past the sun, giving more shade. I'm starting to find these stupid clouds a bit inconvenient, since I was enjoying the warmth of the sunrays very much! Anyway…

We don't talk any further. There's actually no need to anyway. We just breathe hard, gasp and moan – but basically _I'm_ the one doing this. Cell barely displays what he's feeling like _that_. I can tell he's enjoying me by the way his eyes pierce mine and his dick gets tense in anticipation to meet my cunt, which by the way is dying to get some action. I totally hate the way he's neglecting it right now! So I get somehow violent when I hold the back of his head with one hand and I caress his back with my other hand… Next, I raise my right leg right beside his in a slow but sexy motion. Now he's got plenty of space to move his bloody hand forward, to my poor cunt. I'm not sure if he understands what I actually need him to do right now. Let's just hope it works!

Oh, believe me when I say that he does! Finally! He slowly gets his fingers teasing my cunt. I breathe out and moan. Then, he chuckles. I bet he just wanted me to feel _needy_ enough to try to do something about it. He's playing with me, I know, but I love it anyway. Maybe I should toy with him as well… Let's see how he deals with it. I smirk at this thought and I bet Cell's not expecting _this_ to happen.

While his fingers viciously torture my cunt from the outside and the inside, I start to bounce my hips to his rhythm. As I do so, I moan to distract him, but my skin _accidentally_ teases his dick, which was hopelessly (but very quietly) feeling very attached to my left leg and now my bouncing doesn't miss its true purpose: excite his dick to an _unbearable_ extent. I know he's saving it for later, but to hell with his stupid plans! I do what I want! And if I wish to tease his dick, I shall do it like it or not…

Now some dark clouds cover the sun and they really seem like an umbrella to me. They shield us from the warmth of the sun, but I swear I couldn't care less right now. The thing is… it mildly starts to rain here, in this canyon, desert-like area.

Our current fight is whether it's him or me the one who's able to turn on the other more. Things get wilder. I softly bite his lower lip and lick it playfully. He can't help but close his eyes and let the pleasure flow for a second. It starts to rain with more determination. I don't have time to relish on the fact that I'm winning this battle, though, because he's back attacking me and my poor little cunt ruthlessly once more. Good God, this is amazing! The water falling from the sky, pouring over us, licking us like a half-invisible tongue. I let him carry on teasing me, but this time, when I bounce my hips, the movement is totally and truly accidental (but _natural_ as well, I guess). I swear it is. However, the reaction I get from him and his dick is _disproportionate_: he swiftly takes out his fingers and fully inserts his dick in my cunt as if he wanted to punish me for teasing him too much. I gasp with amazement as I cling to his broad sweaty shoulders. The ground is no longer dry, but full of wet mud. Sex is usually dirty. Now even more, I swear.

"I shall not be played with…" He whispers with that sexy husky voice that makes me hot. His eyes burn like hot iron. A raindrop runs down his cheek until it reaches his nose and falls over my face.

"I may if I wish to…" I whisper back as malignantly as I can manage, although I don't really mean it, of course. I'm just playing my part.

As I say this, he violently thrusts into me and I moan louder. I can hear the splashing sound of water and mud beneath me. He chuckles and smirks back at me.

"Do you realize what you're doing to me?" He whispers sexily, but kindly to me after some **_delightful minutes of mindlessly fucking me into oblivion_**.

"_No_," I say almost breathlessly, but full of irony and joy. I sigh. "_I don't… I think I missed something. Can you repeat it_, _pleeeeeaaaaaase_?"

He chuckles amused like never before and mildly shakes his head. Then, we go on as before. His thrusts meet mine in a desperate frenzy, as if an ice-cold river met a shower of boiling lava. We're the only two matching pieces of a puzzle exclusively made for and by love. _We're intense and devoted like a drum solo_. We're two perfectly rhyming lines in a poem.

The rain keeps pouring over us mechanically and we let go ourselves until we both moan hopelessly and cum.

When we're done, I can barely stand up on my own. The rain is over now and the sun is shining again. I need my clothes back… Errrr… _Where the hell are they_? _Seriously_, I cannot see them.

"Have you seen my clothes, Cell?" I ask point-blank.

"_Nop_. Sorry, Ivy." He says playfully. I think he's not _really_ interested in me finding my clothes and getting dressed again.

"Are you _absolutely sure_ about it? '_I shall not be played with_!'" I say mimicking him, but playfully.

"_'I may if I wish to_…'" He says mimicking me as well, but whispering devilishly.

I chuckle.

* * *

**Hi there!**

**OK… Nothing really happened in this chapter, right? But I don't feel bad about it, because ****_ironically_**** the sole purpose of this fic was to write ****_smut for smut's sake_****. So this is it: a 100% smut chapter! Enjoy! ;) But something will happen on the next chapter, I promise… ****_Muahahahaaaaaaaaaa…!_**** (evil laughter as I pet my beloved extremely-furry white cat as if I were Bond's enemy or something)**

**Read and review! ;)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


	12. Chapter 12: The Meantime

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on ****_IVY'S CELL…_**

When we're done, I can barely stand up on my own. The rain is over now and the sun is shining again. I need my clothes back… Errrr… _Where the hell are they_? _Seriously_, I cannot see them.

"Have you seen my clothes, Cell?" I ask point-blank.

"_Nop_. Sorry, Ivy." He says playfully. I think he's not _really_ interested in me finding my clothes and getting dressed again.

"Are you _absolutely sure_ about it? '_I shall not be played with_!'" I say mimicking him, but playfully.

"_'I may if I wish to_…'" He says mimicking me as well, but whispering devilishly.

I chuckle.

* * *

**Chapter 12: The Meantime**

_[Ivy's POV]_

When I tell Cell about the Dragon Balls and my plan, he frowns. I don't know why he seems so defeated all of a sudden. Well, I can imagine it may be because he's got some doubts as regards the guys' opinion on the matter. But, _hey_, I've come across the _same_ kind of hesitation, so I decide to share it with him.

"I know what you're thinking. You're worried… The guys won't let us use them, right? That's what you're thinking."

"_Of course not. I'm a monster_."

"They will. I will convince them! We can bring back the dead, restore what was destroyed and give you a clean slate. Everyone wins."

"They won't let me."

I sigh. I wonder where this attitude really comes from. I wonder if there's something else _lurking in his mind_ that I'm unable to glimpse right now. He's too down and I've never seen him like that before. Anyway, I try to soothe him and convince him. Suddenly he's got this _wild_ idea of looking for the Dragon Balls on our own. I frown.

"This is _not_ a good idea, Cell. They'll _surely_ get mad then." I say calmly.

"They'll be mad anyway!" He says angrily.

"Why are you so angry so suddenly? You still got a chance! Let me handle this. Please…" I beg him until he sighs and agrees.

"It won't work." He concludes.

"Why? Is it just pure hopelessness or is there something else?" I ask.

"What?"

"These few days I've been away… Are you hiding something from me? Has anything happened?" I say soothingly. I don't doubt of his behaviour and he knows that.

"No, it's just that… I don't trust them. _The issue is with me_, as usual."

"Why don't you trust them?"

"Why should I? They tried to kill me."

"You all tried to kill each other…" I say and sigh. "And _I _tried to kill you myself and _you love me_. Let's face it: _your logic sucks, no offense_. But, Cell, I… think they can really amaze you as regards trusting them. _Give them the chance that you'd like to have to be considered a better man_. I'll help you, don't worry. It'll be allright."

He seems to be finally convinced, but then some of the guys come to my rescue: Krillin, Trunks and Vegeta. We see them flying towards us and I'm still naked… _Errrr_… I should probably do something about it. Luckily, I manage to find my clothes (they are not as dirty as I expected they would be).

When the guys land, they get closer to us, but not much, since Cell is looking threateningly to them. I have to calm him down. I decide to tell them the whole truth straightaway.

"_WHAT_?!" The guys exclaim in unison.

They can't believe a word I've said about our recent love affair and my trust in him. Trunks' face is the worst. He gets paler than I thought and that's when I know I haven't been kind and open enough to him. I truly regret it: I should've probably told him aside about all this, but the future depends on this, on my current straightforwardness and lack of tact towards him. I need to tell everyone about this to ensure Cell's future and safety.

"I truly believe he's changed, but I shall need the Dragon Balls to erase the peoples' memory as regards his past. I want to grant him a clean slate, that's all. He deserves a second chance. We can wish for the reconstruction of what was destroyed, that all the dead people come back to life and Cell's wish. Everyone wins. Would you agree to that?"

They fall silent.

"You may need some time to think about it. I know. I'm not going to put any more pressure on you right now. Just go home, get your wounds healed and think about it. We shall meet again and you'll let us know your decision."

Trunks and Krillin nod. Vegeta is still mad and looks meanly at me, but luckily he's about to faint again due to the beating and all. His wounds look quite nasty. Trunks is quite pale still. I'll need to do some explaining to him if I get the chance to speak with him alone…

"We shall meet again in a couple of days. Make it three." Krillin says looking at Vegeta and Trunks. "What do you think? Is it enough?"

They nod and fly away in complete silence.

Both Cell and I come back home as well.

* * *

In the meantime, Cell and I enjoy our relationship in complete peace for two whole days… which basically means _tons of sex_. Two days have gone by already…

"_Oh, Cell_…"

I feel so wet right now. Cell is a bit too pushy: he silently kisses my neck, shoulders, ears, cheeks, etc. He's got me against the wall of his bedroom, kissing me sweetly but passionately, holding me tightly – and I love it. I put my arms around his arms and neck. He's machine-gunning me with kisses all over my face, neck and shoulders. I let him do it and sigh.

"Don't worry. It'll be alright…" I whisper to him into his ear while he bites my neck delicately and I gasp. I know he loves it. We had been talking about the whole thing, again. He doesn't answer, but I don't care. I bet he just doesn't feel like talking anymore right now…

As an answer, he stops either biting or kissing me for a second, he holds me even tighter than before (almost crushing me) and pushes me harder against the wall with his hips. I can feel what's going on down below. Then, Cell gets my left ear between his teeth and lips and plays with it with his tongue. I moan with delight. He relishes in it.

He's already intoxicated by the pleasure he's been giving me as much as me, I guess, and keeps going. I know he's unable to stop himself right now: one of his hands slips beneath my dress. I moan slightly, knowing this will only encourage him to carry on a bit further. He holds my whole body towards him; then, he takes a step backwards and makes me arch my back. He makes my legs part and cling to his hips. My head falls slightly backwards too in the process.

He's almost crushing me because he's holding me too tight, but I don't care. I mildly shriek once. Then, he starts to play with my cunt and I moan hopelessly. I can't explain how desperate I was to feel him touch me… It's just _too much_. He smirks at me as he realizes I'm so damn wet and ready for him. A bit later, he decides that there's absolutely no need to wait anymore and he introduces his whole manhood into my delicate body. I gasp and moan a lot as he ploughs me rhythmically.

"I… love you… Ivy."

My lips are parted, moist and throbbing a bit. He notices and stares at them. Finally, he kisses me wildly and I caress his shoulders, nape and head. We get hold of each other's body, head, shoulders, waist, whatever which might turn out to be handier. His hands feel as if they're burning when he gets hold of the skin on my back and ass.

After some minutes of shagging as hotly and wildly as we can manage, he knows he's about to cum. I am too. He shivers and gasps, and finally he's able to burst out:

"_I don't know what I'd do without you_…"

Then, I stare at him with glowing eyes and saying nothing. More words would just mar this blissful moment, so I just stare at him and smile tenderly. Cell can't help but returning my magical stare, as if his eyes were locked into mine, and then he very slowly gets his face closer to mine, little by little. He's about to kiss me as if he was afraid of doing it. He brushes slightly the tip of my lips with his and all of a sudden I feel a wave of sweet heat and tension flowering down my spine.

This sends me directly over the edge and I cum. He cums a few seconds later too.

* * *

I remember my long list of problems. I decide we should discuss Taylor. I tell Cell what I saw when I got free from those guys down town. He can't believe it.

"But she's good!" He seems utterly betrayed. "She's a good girl. She's been a good friend…! No!"

"Maybe I saw someone who _looked_ like her. Maybe I got confused. I just saw her very _briefly_ that same day, remember? I may be _wrong_." I try to calm him down. It doesn't work.

He flees from me and I think he's trying to spot Taylor and ask her straightway about this. I should leave them alone for some time. They have to talk, I guess. But after some unbearable silence and worrying, I have second thoughts about this… So I get a hot, sexy dress from the wardrobe, get dressed in a couple of seconds and take to the skies. I fly to him because I'm deeply worried. If I'm wrong, I need a chance to apologise, at least! _God, please, let me be wrong about this! _

When I spot them and land by their side, I see that Cell is quite angry and Taylor is scared and crying… And I have this weird feeling _I should protect her_ (even though she's the one who gave me in). But I do it. Cell is utterly amazed. So is Taylor, who praises my good faith. She apologises to me: yes, she admits it was her that day. I smile at her, forgive her immediately and thank her for keeping Cell company these days.

"If I can forgive Taylor, can you forgive the guys for trying to kill you?" I say calmly to Cell.

He sighs and says OK quite reluctantly.

Then I sigh and mentally cross out the Taylor issue from my to-do list. _Solved_!

* * *

We come back home happy as ever. But when we're flying back home, …

**_– CHOOSE YOUR OPTION –_**

1 – Cell gets horny and we have sex in the forest: go to SECTION A.

2 – Cell gets horny, we go home and we have sex in the back garden: go to SECTION B.

3 – Cell gets horny, we go home, but I'm not in the mood for sex. I tell him he's got too much sex for the last few days: go to SECTION C.

4 – Cell gets horny, we go home, but Trunks is waiting at our doorstep. What does he want from us?: go to SECTION D.

* * *

**SECTION A**

_Author's note: you're a pervy, just so you know (but I'm even worse 'cos I'm the one writing this)._

We fly to the forest nearby our home. We land and then he comes closer to me with naughty intentions on his mind. I immediately know and smirk at him playfully. I lift an eyebrow to him while he extends his hands and arms to her very slowly. Yeah, he wants to hug me, but I have other plans in mind… Then, I slowly lift my forefinger playfully to his nose, touch it and whisper:

"_You're it_."

He freezes. I smile and start to run as fast as I can through the woods. He hurries to reach me. My hot dress floats around and behind me as I run. My long hair does so too. He loves it. We run through the woods, but he's not able to get me until a bit later. I'm giggling in the meantime, because I constantly escape from his grip and mock him. I rush a bit more, but he gets hold of one of my wrists and makes me turn around and pushes me to a tree. We kiss as if there was no tomorrow.

"You're it." He whispers back to me after snogging me. I just smile.

He just shuts up, smiles tenderly and his only answer is to surprise me by holding me in his arms as if we had just married, bride style 100% and carries me to a delightful mossy area which resembles a bed. As he lays me down on this strange but soft bed, I put my hands on his chest slowly and tenderly, and he lies down beside me. We hug each other. I just sigh. Then, he kisses me softly and rolls on top of me.

The next thing I know, he stops kissing me and unbuttons the only button of my dress, right at the base of my neck, which allows the neckline to fall to either sides of my tits and the whole dress to fall. Then, he leans on my exposed tits and caresses them, licks them, and makes my nipples become hard by his merciless and unforgiving caretaking. I moan almost inaudibly once and sigh. He glances at me shortly.

Out of the blue, I put myself on top of him and smile as he lets me do it and my hair falls down on either sides of my face onto his chest. As I do so, my dress has fallen down to my hips already… This is one of the most beautiful sights Cell has ever beheld. I begin to caress his face, jawline, neck, chest and arms with the tip of my forefinger. As I do so, I bite my lower lip with a bit of lust. Cell's skin reveals goose bumps everywhere I have touched.

I look down to his dick. His arousal is massive by now. I gently take it with my two hands and start to caress the tip mercilessly slowly. He lets me do it and waits for me to give him pleasure… I check his reactions to everything I'm doing just to know what gets him mad and what doesn't. Honestly, he's mad at _everything_. I know he's eager to get some more action and he hisses like an impatient snake because he knows I'm deliberately doing this painfully slowly. My goal is not to get him to beg me for it, but to amaze him to an unbearable extent when I actually do it.

After a few minutes of delightful torture on his dick with my fingers, I bend over and lick the tip once. He hisses louder. I wait a couple of seconds. Then, I lick it again. His hissing now seems a bit lower than the first, but his body is getting to tense that I know he's equally desperate. So then, I painfully slowly lick the tip a third time.

"_For fuck's sake, you're killing me! Stick it in your mouth already_!" He bursts out impatiently.

"Wow…" I answer playfully and I smirk at him. "Good, you're _needy_. But there's no need to _say_ so. I was just about to do it… _right… now…_"

When I finish the sentence, I slowly put his dick in my mouth. He grunts with delight. _Good. _I lick it and suck it for some minutes until I feel like stopping. I'm not letting him cum yet, so I put myself on top of him again because I want him to take it easy and let me handle this, but instead of this, he makes me lie down and he rolls on top of me. Then he swiftly makes my legs part and doesn't hesitate at all as to insert his member into my body. I gasp due to the sudden move.

"_You've had enough control over me_…" He whispers devilishly to me.

_Oh, God… He's going to make me pay for this_! He starts to plough me quite wildly and I moan uncontrollably. I just bury my head in his thick neck and breathe unevenly. His grunts grow wilder and lustier, and my moans get hornier and hungrier. We go on like this for a long time until he radically stops and takes his dick out of me all of a sudden. I freeze. What the hell is he doing now?!

Then, he grabs me and makes me turn down so that I face the mossy bed. He makes me kneel and he positions himself right behind me. That's when he grabs my hips and ruthlessly inserts his dick into me again and we shag hotly again. I moan louder.

"_Good_…" He whispers in delight.

Surprisingly, he takes his right hand to my front and he gently caresses my belly. The movement is so delicate that it strikes me as odd. His hold on me is so strong and unforgiving that I can only move when he ploughs me from behind. And God, I love it! I could stay like this forever. Then, his movements become wilder and he slides his right hand (which was on my belly) towards down below, where my clit is anxiously (and surprisingly) expecting him to torture it as madly as he chooses. And, _yes_, he does so: he starts to rub it and caress it so that it sends shocking waves of pleasure to my entire body. I never thought I could moan any louder that this… A bit later, both of us cum and collapse.

**_– CHOOSE YOUR OPTION –_**

1 – We fly back home, but Cell is still horny. I'm not in the mood for sex anymore. I tell him he's got too much sex for the last few days: go to SECTION C.

2 – We fly back home, but Trunks is waiting at our doorstep. What does he want from us?: go to SECTION D.

* * *

**SECTION B**

_Author's note: you're ALSO a pervy, just so you know (but I'm even worse 'cos I'm the one writing this)._

_*Author's second note: before you complain about it… _aha_, I've just copied section A with some _slight_ changes._

We fly to the forest nearby our home. We land and then he comes closer to me with naughty intentions on his mind. I immediately know and smirk at him playfully. I lift an eyebrow to him while he extends his hands and arms to her very slowly. Yeah, he wants to hug me, but I have other plans in mind… Then, I slowly lift my forefinger playfully to his nose, touch it and whisper:

"_You're it_."

He freezes. I smile and start to run as fast as I can through the woods. He hurries to reach me. My hot dress floats around and behind me as I run. My long hair does so too. He loves it. We run through the woods, but he's not able to get me until a bit later. I'm giggling in the meantime, because I constantly escape from his grip and mock him. I rush a bit more, but he gets hold of one of my wrists and makes me turn around and pushes me to a tree. We kiss as if there was no tomorrow.

"You're it." He whispers back to me after snogging me. I just smile.

He just shuts up, smiles tenderly and his only answer is to surprise me by holding me in his arms as if we had just married, bride style 100% and carries me to a delightful mossy area which resembles a bed. As he lays me down on this strange but soft bed, I put my hands on his chest slowly and tenderly, and he lies down beside me. We hug each other. I just sigh. Then, he kisses me softly and rolls on top of me.

The next thing I know, he stops kissing me and unbuttons the only button of my dress, right at the base of my neck, which allows the neckline to fall to either sides of my tits and the whole dress to fall. Then, he leans on my exposed tits and caresses them, licks them, and makes my nipples become hard by his merciless and unforgiving caretaking. I moan almost inaudibly once and sigh. He glances at me shortly.

Out of the blue, I put myself on top of him and smile as he lets me do it and my hair falls down on either sides of my face onto his chest. As I do so, my dress has fallen down to my hips already… This is one of the most beautiful sights Cell has ever beheld. I begin to caress his face, jawline, neck, chest and arms with the tip of my forefinger. As I do so, I bite my lower lip with a bit of lust. Cell's skin reveals goose bumps everywhere I have touched.

I look down to his dick. His arousal is massive by now. I gently take it with my two hands and start to caress the tip mercilessly slowly. He lets me do it and waits for me to give him pleasure… I check his reactions to everything I'm doing just to know what gets him mad and what doesn't. Honestly, he's mad at _everything_. I know he's eager to get some more action and he hisses like an impatient snake because he knows I'm deliberately doing this painfully slowly. My goal is not to get him to beg me for it, but to amaze him to an unbearable extent when I actually do it.

After a few minutes of delightful torture on his dick with my fingers, I bend over and lick the tip once. He hisses louder. I wait a couple of seconds. Then, I lick it again. His hissing now seems a bit lower than the first, but his body is getting to tense that I know he's equally desperate. So then, I painfully slowly lick the tip a third time.

"_For fuck's sake, you're killing me! Stick it in your mouth already_!" He bursts out impatiently.

"Wow…" I answer playfully and I smirk at him. "Good, you're _needy_. But there's no need to _say_ so. I was just about to do it… _right… now…_"

When I finish the sentence, I slowly put his dick in my mouth. He grunts with delight. _Good. _I lick it and suck it for some minutes until I feel like stopping. I'm not letting him cum yet, so I put myself on top of him again because I want him to take it easy and let me handle this, but instead of this, he makes me lie down and he rolls on top of me. Then he swiftly makes my legs part and doesn't hesitate at all as to insert his member into my body. I gasp due to the sudden move.

"_You've had enough control over me_…" He whispers devilishly to me.

_Oh, God… He's going to make me pay for this_! He starts to plough me quite wildly and I moan uncontrollably. I just bury my head in his thick neck and breathe unevenly. His grunts grow wilder and lustier, and my moans get hornier and hungrier. We go on like this for a long time until he radically stops and takes his dick out of me all of a sudden. I freeze. What the hell is he doing now?!

Then, he grabs me and makes me turn down so that I face the mossy bed. He makes me kneel and he positions himself right behind me. That's when he grabs my hips…

But then, _to his utter amazement_, I ruthlessly insert his dick into me again, I moan and start bouncing my hips to his. We shag hotly again. I moan louder.

"_Good_…" He whispers in delight.

Surprisingly, _I force him_ to take his right hand from my hips to my front and to caress my belly gently. His hold on me is so strong and unforgiving that I can only move when he ploughs me from behind. And God, I love it! I could stay like this forever. Then, his movements become wilder and I make him slide his right hand (which was on my belly) with mine towards down below, where my clit is anxiously expecting him to torture it as madly as he chooses. He doesn't complain about this. And, _yes_, he does so: he starts to rub it and caress it so that it sends shocking waves of pleasure to my entire body. I never thought I could moan any louder that this… A bit later, both of us cum and collapse.

**_– CHOOSE YOUR OPTION –_**

1 – We go inside, but Cell is still horny. I'm not in the mood for sex anymore. I tell him he's got too much sex for the last few days: go to SECTION C.

2 – We go inside, but the doorbell suddenly rings. We answer the door. Trunks is waiting at our doorstep. What does he want from us?: go to SECTION D.

* * *

**SECTION C**

_Author's note: you're NOT a pervy, don't get too excited about it: you're reading romances and smut stories anyways!_

I sigh and chide Cell for wanting too much sex. I really need to have a bath! And I want to have it in peace and quiet. I really think I _do_ deserve some tranquility now, after all I've been through!

I promise I'll make it up to him… _someday_. He sighs and lets me be.

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

What the hell?! Too much sex?! _Bah_!

If she doesn't let me take her now, I'll make her pay for this later. But for now, I'll get content if I can spy her in the bathroom. I know it's not a very gentlemanly thing to do, but my dear Ivy is so fucking hot that I can't help it… I need her like the air I'm breathing!

I spy her through the lock of the bathroom's door as she takes her clothes off… God, she's _gorgeous_! If only I could touch those curves, those legs, those tits right now… then I'd lead her straight to heaven, I swear! She makes my mouth water…

The water flows over her delicate skin and I envy it with all my might. She's so sexy with her wet hair, face and body. She's started to hum a song right now… Her voice is magnificent! Then, she turns around and I can't help but staring at her beautiful ass, which is fit to belong to a goddess. That's when I feel I need to enter the bathroom immediately and take her right there and then, although she'd chide me. I can't fucking care less, because she'd _let me_ take her… _Because she loves me… She adores me…_

My arousal is huge and I swallow hard. Part of me is telling me to back off and let her be. And _another_ part of me is begging me to shut up and ravage her.

I hesitate for a few minutes as I painfully engrave every single move and sound she makes into my mind and then I decide I have to _be rational and let her be_. That's when I close my eyes, clench my teeth and fists, stand up and walk away.

**_– CHOOSE YOUR OPTION –_**

_[Ivy's POV again]_

1 – I finish my bath and I want to make it up to him. We have sex in the back garden: go to SECTION B.

2 – I finish my bath, but the doorbell suddenly rings. We answer the door. Trunks is waiting at our doorstep. What does he want from us?: go to SECTION D.

* * *

**SECTION D**

_Author's note: you're NOT a pervy and you guessed this is the correct option (all the other options lead to this one anyways…)_

We're amazed to see Trunks standing in our doorstep. What does he want from us? Have they made a decision yet? There's still one more day to go…

When he sees us, he immediately frowns. His jealously and anger can be smelled, I swear, and they're really intense.

"What do you want?" Cell asks a bit angrily.

"I need to have a word with Ivy… alone." He says seriously, never breaking the eye-contact with Cell.

Cell doesn't want to leave me alone with him and clutches my hand like a madman. Although I enjoy it, I have to tell him to let me go, that it'll be fine. Trunks adds:

"We'll vote tomorrow on what we shall do from now on, but before I cast my vote, I need to speak with Ivy alone. I have some questions for her."

I accept to answer his questions the best that I can.

**_– CHOOSE YOUR OPTION –_**

1 – Cell is horny and doesn't want to let me speak with him alone. He gets hold of me and takes me to… either the back garden or the woods: go to SECTION A OR B, you pervies. I know you've already read them… ;)

2 – Cell lets us talk in private in the library and promises not to eavesdrop: go to chapter 13! (sorry guys, you'll have to wait!)

* * *

**Hi there!**

**Did you like the choose-your-option format? ;)**

**If it becomes popular, I shall use it more often! So let me know what you think! And also, don't forget to comment on the sex scenes. Did you like them? (I just wish something like this would happen to me… :3 ****_sigh…_****)**

**Read and review! ;)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


	13. Chapter 13: The Memories

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on _IVY'S CELL…_**

"I need to have a word with Ivy… alone." He says seriously, never breaking the eye-contact with Cell.

Cell doesn't want to leave me alone with him and clutches my hand like a madman. Although I enjoy it, I have to tell him to let me go, that it'll be fine. Trunks adds:

"We'll vote tomorrow on what we shall do from now on, but before I cast my vote, I need to speak with Ivy alone. I have some questions for her."

I accept to answer his questions the best that I can.

– _**CHOOSE YOUR OPTION –**_

1 – Cell is horny and doesn't want to let me speak with him alone. He gets hold of me and takes me to… either the back garden or the woods: go to SECTION A OR B, you pervies. I know you've already read them… ;)

2 – Cell lets us talk in private in the library and promises not to eavesdrop: go to chapter 13! (sorry guys, you'll have to wait!)

* * *

**Chapter 13: The Memories**

Cell reluctantly lets me go. He's hopeless without me, I guess. I just adore the way he clings to me. Anyway, I make Trunks follow me to the library so that we can talk in private. I tell Cell not to eavesdrop (and I hope he doesn't because I want him to trust me – but at the same time _I want him to_ because I want him to trust Trunks on this one.

Anyway, Trunks and I have a chat. I had been waiting for this opportunity since the second edition of the Cell Games. Then, Trunks waits for me to close the door and shoots his first question at me. No beating about the bushes, huh? Straight to the point – that's how I like it.

"Are you sure about this, Ivy?" He asks worried.

"Yes, I am." I say calmly.

"Do you _love_ him?" I notice a twinge of fear and hesitation in his voice now.

"Yes, I do." I say equally calmly.

"I can't believe it." He turns around and sighs quite audibly. "For how long have you…?"

I wait for him to finish what he started, but he just doesn't. I can't see his face, although I'd love to. I want to know how he feels.

"I hated him until that night by the well…"

"What?" He asks amazed. "You mean,… Did I kiss you when you had just made up your mind to love him? Or did my kiss throw you into his arms?"

"No, I had already come clean to myself already when you kissed me. And I know I reacted sort of… weird. I just hope you didn't get the wrong idea."

"I thought you were shy because you… _liked_… me." He whispers defeated.

"I thought that this would happen… I wanted to tell you before, but I didn't have time or the chance to speak to you in private. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression."

"You've broken my heart, do you know that?" He says calmly, almost inaudibly. I bet I deserve to be yelled at. I should've been clearer about this.

"And I'm sorry I lead you on. I didn't mean to. I hope you can forgive me."

Unexpectedly, Trunks turns around and in the blink of an eye he's grabbing my whole body like a madman in love. His eyes glow like never before and I feel as if I've pushed him beyond the reasonable limits of patience and endurance. I think I start to regret having a private conversation with him already…

"What are you doing?!" I ask amazed.

He just slams his lips on mine before I can even think about what to do. I can feel the heat of his body, his passion and his hopelessness flowing to mine. My heart bangs wildly within my chest and I feel as if I had to throw it up any minute now. His eagerness is unstoppable and I fear he may try to do something stupid.

Well, now it's a nice timing for an interruption…. So when I expect Cell to break in and save me, he doesn't – simply because he's _not_ eavesdropping as I told him… _Fuck_.

Then, Trunks crushes me in his arms a bit too much. I can barely breathe… so I try to break the kiss and open my mouth to get some air. When I do so (hopelessly, I admit), instead of making him feel ashamed for doing such a thing to me, he slams me to the wall, grabs my chin and snogs me. Even though I try to complain, I can't make myself heard: my vain attempts are just a sheepish moan in his mouth, which encourages him to go on. I think I'll have to use my real strength to get away from him – and the library will pay the consequences, of course, because Trunks will survive this, but the books and shelves… Nah, I don't think so.

Right after he starts to caress my waist upwards until his hand meets my breast, I panic, I summon my power and I'm able to get away from him. His back hits the shelves and all the books fall on the floor. If the noise hasn't warned Cell, maybe our 'ki' levels will. I know I haven't caused any harm on Trunks, but when he stands up he's staring at me as if he would eat me whole only with his lust. Why do I have the feeling that I'm a little red riding hood who is just about to get eaten by the big bad wolf? This is madness!

"What did he tell you to make you fall for him?" He asks angrily using a husky voice. "I don't get it!"

"Why do I have the feeling that I shouldn't answer any of your questions?" I whisper back to him seriously, knowing that what he's told us earlier about asking questions and stuff was just a mere excuse to be alone with me. I frown.

Then, he approaches to me with great determination and I panic. I realize I don't want to fight. I consider him a friend. Well, at least I _did_! And why should he react this way? I really expected him to be a calm, rational man (he's always been like that until now), but instead he's behaving like a… like a _monster_ right now.

"Why are you like this?!" I ask with a high-pitched voice which betrays me.

"Why?!" He asks back angrily as he grabs me by both my arms. "Because I love you and I'm not giving up on you just yet! I can't! _I just can't_!"

I gasp as I try to come to terms with this… But then, Trunks nails me to the wall again and kisses me passionately as if the world was at an end. I'm totally caught unaware, defenseless. He easily manages to put a knee right between mine so that my legs are slightly parted and I fear the worst. I accidentally shed a tear, which flows down my cheek before I even realize of it.

Fortunately for me, Cell breaks into the library. When he sees me like this, he gets pale instantly. But the next thing I know, he frowns like never before and his 'ki' level reaches unsuspected heights. Naturally, Cell comes enraged towards Trunks' direction with the specific intention of kicking his ass, but then Trunks grabs the back of my head and snogs me wildly right in front of him. Cell is taken aback. And so am I. Then, I manage to break the kiss and push his face away from mine as far as I can, which is not much anyway, just a few inches.

"Cell, help me!" I yell as I turn my face to look at him with pleading eyes.

This makes him come back to life and he pulls Trunks away from me for good. I take this chance to get closer to Cell, just in case.

"Don't you ever try to touch my girlfriend again…" Cell grunts.

"Or what?" Trunks growls back.

_Oh my God…_ Things are getting nastier by the second. And I was just hoping to get things back to normal, to have some peace and quiet after all this mess I've been dragged into! I can't believe this…

"I should kill you right now, Trunks." Cell speaks to him with anger and solemnity, but I know he's keeping a low profile of sorts, which is odd for him. "But I won't."

This bit leaves Trunks flabbergasted. And I can see why: he obviously didn't expect this to happen! He's also completely numb as a reaction to Cell's following words:

"I promised I'd try to be a good man and I also promised myself I'd learn to have faith in people around me." His voice is mature and he's measuring his words with great care, but I know he's feeling comfortable doing so. I smile tenderly at him then. "I know it will be difficult, not only for me. _Trust has to be earned, but I'm willing to go any lengths to get it_. If you don't understand it, I just couldn't care less, but you'll leave Ivy alone. She deserves a lot more respect from you than that." He says feeling ashamed to mention that Trunks was about to rape me or something. "If you're as smart as I believe you are, you'll respect her choices and opinions and you'll leave us… now."

Then, Cell motions him to the door, silently indicating that he should get going lest he should reconsider his actions and beat him on the spot. Fortunately, Trunks goes to the door and leaves without putting up a fight. I just close my eyes and feel relieved… I sigh as if a huge, violent storm was over. When I open my eyes again, Cell is looking at me with a worried expression on his face. I decide to speak first.

"Cell, I know this might go beyond your limits, but you did right." I whisper as calmly as I can.

"I still don't get why you want me to be good to him when it's obvious that I shouldn't have let him stay here alone with you." He's angry because he's deeply concerned about me.

"I know, I know… But…"

"He would've raped you!" He gets angrier because he thinks I might be delusional about earning other people's trust. When I'm about to speak again, he puts his forefinger on my lips and stops me. "Don't tell me to trust him, Ivy. I won't ever trust someone who's tried to rape you. Never."

Then, he hugs me tightly but tenderly. His anger instantly becomes hopelessness at the mere thought of seeing me hurt beyond repair because he would've failed to protect me. He leans his head onto my shoulder and slowly turns his face to the crook of my neck. I can feel his warm breath on my skin and it makes me sigh quite weakly. The more it happens, the less I hate it. I used to get angry with myself when I felt weak and I displayed it, but now not anymore. _I don't because I'm with him_… This strange comfort allows me to show how I really feel and not feel at odds with myself.

"I'm sorry." I whisper lightly to him as I also hug him.

"Why?" He asks me whispering also.

"Because it feels as if no one's willing to give you a second chance and I know this is hard for you."

"I knew it beforehand."

And yet he's trying… for me. We fall silent for some seconds. I don't know what to say.

"At least _you_ gave me a second chance, which is _all I've ever wanted_." He whispers eventually. Then, he smiles at me (well, at my neck actually – I notice his thin lips stretch widely and nicely on the skin of my neck). I smile too. "_I love you_." He whispers to me then.

And before I know it, he's carrying me to bed in his arms.

* * *

A few hours later (and even though it's broad daylight 'cos it's 4 in the afternoon), Cell is sleeping next to me on his bed. His countenance is clam and nice and I can't help but smiling at him. I'm still naked… but it feels so good. So natural…

Anyway, I know I just can't stay naked forever, so I get up and go to my room and get a change of clothes. I start humming a song… I'm definitely happy, although there's still a lot to fight for. Anyway, I feel optimistic. I know we can figure something out. Then, I put on some low rider dark blue jeans and a white T-shirt. I start to comb my hair with dedication and then I decide to tie it up in a ponytail.

Out of the blue, the sky gets dark as if it was midnight or something. There are huge, thick, dark clouds which make me shiver. As I stare at this threatening stormy sky, I come closer to the window of my room and I can't help but staring at them wondering where the hell they have come from so suddenly. Then, I realize there's a golden halo on the horizon, too far away to see what's that exactly, but I know that's not the sun. It can't be the sun: the colour is so different and it springs from the east. Bearing in mind that the sun _usually_ sets on the west, it just can't be the sun.

When I decide to call Cell and tell him what I've seen so far, I get a massive headache and I yell. I kneel on the floor as I feel an unbearable stabbing pain within my head. I see him rushing to me, deeply worried beyond doubt, but I can't hear what he's telling me. I see his lips moving but I can't hear a thing. The next thing I know… I…

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

Ivy has suddenly fainted on the floor of her room and I don't see the reason why. I think she just wanted to warn me about this threatening stormy sky, but when I've come here to see what was going on, she was grabbing her head and falling down on her knees. A few seconds later, she was unconscious on the floor and now I'm still unable to do a thing. I'm frozen…

"Ivy… Wake up… _Please_."

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

I wake up on the floor and I find myself in the arms of a green-skinned monster. I yell in despair, obviously.

"WTF!" I stand up immediately and get rid of his arms. My heart beats faster than a HVT's engine. "Who are you?! Where am I?!" I ask equally hysteric.

"Ivy… What are you talking about?" This monster asks me quietly and calmly as if he knew me.

"Where's my family? My friends? My… town?!" I panic, truly panic, when I realize I'm in an unknown house in the company of someone who doesn't even seem human. Has he tried to…? Oh, no… God, no. Please don't tell me that… No! "OMG, OMG, OMG…" I say with a high-pitched voice as I rush to the door and leave the spot. I just hope I can make it to the front door and flee, unless he stops me, of course… which he does.

"Ivy, where are you going?" He asks me bewildered as he blocks my way while we're on the stairs.

"How do you know my name?! Who are you?!" My questions leave him stunned and he keeps staring at me as if I was mad or something. "Look, I don't mean to be rude or anything…" I try to play it nice as I slowly make my way out of here. I don't care if I have to jump from a window, but for the time being, I'll try using doors. "… But I should get going because someone's waiting for me…" I'm lying of course, but he doesn't know that.

"Who's waiting for you? Taylor?" He asks me.

"Who's Taylor? I don't know anybody with that name." I don't. I'm telling the truth now. As I keep him distracted with this, I slowly walk down the stairs. He's following me and it makes the hairs on the back of my head stand on end. I just want to go out of here now!

"Ivy, I'm Cell. Taylor is a friend of ours." He whispers to me hopelessly. "Can't you remember? We've been talking to her just a few hours ago…"

"What?! No... Look, I'm sorry. You must be confused…" I say as I reach the basement and head to the door. He rushes to me and puts a hand on the surface of the door when I put mine on the doorknob.

"No, _you_ are confused!" He treats me as if I was a mad person. "Can't you remember, Ivy?"

"What are you talking about?! Stop calling me as if you knew me! Let me go, monster!" I immediately regret saying these badly chosen words, because I know that I speak without thinking what I say first. It's a bad habit of mine. Will he slap my face or kick me? No… He just clenches his teeth and curses someone called Trunks. Suddenly, this name rings a bell, but my head starts to hurt so bad when I try to focus.

"Don't worry, Ivy." He says soothingly as he hugs me tenderly, which makes me feel extremely weird. I try to get rid of him and curse him. I try to push his chest from mine, but I just can't move him an inch. I can't stand the closeness. "You don't remember who I am, do you?" He whispers hopelessly. "You're in _our_ house. I'm Cell… _your boyfriend_."

_WTF! My boyfriend?!_ I let out a hysterical laugh and, when I recover my senses and the ability to think rationally, I answer:

"You're definitely _not_ my boyfriend. Keep dreaming, monster." I say with cheek and pride.

Having said this, he's dumbstruck and I can get rid of his arms and leave. He doesn't follow me, which is exactly what I wanted. Now I'm free to go… but where? Where is this place? Where's my town? Where are my friends? My parents? My neighbours? _Errr_… This is going to be more difficult than I thought.

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

When I find Trunks, I'm going to kill him. I'll make Ivy recover her memories of me and I'll never trust anyone else in this world. I swear! Enough of it! I don't care if Ivy gets mad at me for not trying hard enough! Trunks deserves to be killed because he's succeeded in harming her. She'll be devastated again when she discovers that I killed everyone she knew and destroyed her whole world. And I'm going to beat and kill anyone who dares to even get close to her. I don't care if she takes it badly. _She's not going anywhere. She loves me. She's mine._

* * *

_[Trunks POV]_

"Are you mad, Trunks?!" Krillin yells at him in despair. "You used the Dragon Balls and made a foolish wish! Now we'll have to wait a whole year before we can make another wish! We needed it to make things as they were before Cell and the androids arrived. To make the dead come back to life. Are you crazy?! Why did you do that?!"

"She's wrong about Cell! She's better off without him in her head. She wanted to use the balls to make people forget about him! Is her wish better than mine?!" Trunks exclaims offended.

"No, of course not." Piccolo says quite calmly. "But at least she let us think about it for some days and you screwed it, moron."

"She would've never used them without our permission." Gohan says. "She also wanted to get the dead back and reconstruct the world as it was. She's good."

"I agree." Bulma says and sighs. "We've done wrong to her. I bet Cell is quite angry at us right now. So now what?"

"_We_ have done no wrong, woman." Vegeta answers swiftly and angrily. "_He_ did. Not us."

"But Cell's bound to be mad at _us as a group_." She adds. "We have to think about something."

"She's right." Krillin adds. "Besides, Ivy must be in despair right now… in a place she doesn't know, in the company of an unknown _man_ and… I don't even dare to imagine what she might do when she knows that her whole family and friends are dead… not to mention that she's actually also a monster like Cell, made by the same crazy scientist." He says sadly. "You were so _right_, Trunks. She's a lot better now." He says sarcastically.

They all fall silent.

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

I'm locked in a bedroom. The door is locked from outside and all the windows have got huge, thick, metal bars. This monster did it. He eventually got me when I was escaping through the woods. Cell, isn't it? Bah, anyway… I can find my way out of here. I don't care what I have to do. I'll escape. I swear I will. Just you wait!

I need to find something. A knife would be useful. I open the closet, I take all the clothes out, I open all the drawers… Nothing. And then, I spot some old journals and an envelope which contains a report about the adoption of a kid… And a photo.

_OMG… No, this just can't be true._

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

I come home defeated. I couldn't find Trunks. I know they must be hiding somewhere by that stupid well… But I didn't see anything or anyone. That's weird. Something's going on here. I have to find out what Trunks did to her exactly and then fix it. And I have to do it as soon as possible. _I want my dear old Ivy back… I want to kiss her, hug her, … make love to her and to hear her moan my name in despair while she's beneath me, arching her back to meet my thrusts better._

I went to see Taylor to tell her what's going on, but I fear she doesn't recognize me either. Trunks has done something big enough to affect both of them and I think I have an idea as regards what it might be…

When I come home, I go to Ivy's room, now a cell again for obvious reasons. We're back to square one… I sigh as I try to think of a way to show her that we love each other, but nothing's good enough. Then, I open the door and I have to face one of the cruelest sights of my entire existence: Ivy's shaking madly on the floor of her bedroom while staring at the photo of the adoption file. She's crying quietly. She doesn't let go a single sob. I bet she's got none left by now: I have the feeling she's spent hours like this.

_Great. Oh, Ivy… My dear, sweet Ivy…_

"So now you know…" I whisper to her.

"No, I don't." She whispers back as if she was devoid of life. "It's obvious that there are a lot of things I can't remember…"

* * *

**Hi there!**

**Sorry this is quite brief and it took like an eternity to get published, but I don't have much time lately. Tons of stuff to do and family issues colliding… Anyway… (sigh) _This story is coming to an end… soon_. I don't plan it to make it last _forever_, but I guess it'll last a couple of chapters more (or something like that) and that'll be it.**

**Anyway, how will Cell manage to solve this problem? Will Ivy flee? Will Trunks repent? Will Krillin ever stop arsing about and get a girlfriend already? Who knows… Well, _I_ do at least. :3**

**Any suggestions? I'm the puppet master so I can do as I please… but I welcome any comments as regards how you'd like it to end. ;)**

**Hope you enjoyed this bit!**

**Read and review! ;)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


	14. Chapter 14: The Sinners

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on ****_IVY'S CELL…_**

When I come home, I go to Ivy's room, now a cell again for obvious reasons. We're back to square one… I sigh as I try to think of a way to show her that we love each other, but nothing's good enough. Then, I open the door and I have to face one of the cruelest sights of my entire existence: Ivy's shaking madly on the floor of her bedroom while staring at the photo of the adoption file. She's crying quietly. She doesn't let go a single sob. I bet she's got none left by now: I have the feeling she's spent hours like this.

_Great. Oh, Ivy… My dear, sweet Ivy…_

"So now you know…" I whisper to her.

"No, I don't." She whispers back as if she was devoid of life. "It's obvious that there are a lot of things I can't remember…"

* * *

**Chapter 14: The Sinners**

_[Trunks POV]_

I deserve to be chidden for what I did. I made a foolish wish: that all the people who care about Cell should forget everything about him. That erased Ivy's memories for good. I was ruthless to her and I didn't care about the consequences at all. I never stopped for a second to think twice about it. I'm a sinner.

My mother is right about Cell: he's obviously going to come after all of us because of me. I was thinking about leaving and going back to the future, where I belong, but that wouldn't be honourable – not until I have solved this problem. I should do something about it as soon as possible. But what?

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

"Finally! I've found you, Trunks!" I exclaim enraged. It took me quite a long time to find the bastard, but now he cannot escape. We're in this clearing in what it seems to be the middle of nowhere. What I really find odd now is that he was openly displaying his high 'ki', generously and carelessly, as if he was telling me to come to him. Either he's leading me to a trap or he's plainly stupid.

_Or he has a death wish._

Either way, I needed to find him. I want him to know that he's screwed it up. I want him to know why I'm so fucking angry, why I really feel like killing him and, sadly, disregard all Ivy's pleas of peacekeeping that she's ever made to me. He deserves none of her kindness…

"You finally made it." Trunks tells me using a very serious voice, but his face displays a worried expression that I have never seen before in him. I guess that something's going on.

"I was looking for you, but it seems as if you were calling me just now. Where's the trap?" I blatantly ask. I don't care if I'm considered rude. "Are your stupid friends going to attack me while you distract me?"

"No, they aren't. I'm alone."

"And why is that, pray?"

"I know I've made a huge mistake. T-They aren't happy about it precisely. And I _totally_ get it! I know I… I-I think…" He tries to apologise quite clumsily.

"You're a bit messy right now. It doesn't suit you at all, but I just couldn't care less about your well-being." I whisper sarcastically.

"How is she doing?" He asks as if he was a little child, mildly afraid of the answer. I frown at him.

"You don't deserve to know." I say with a dark voice.

"That bad?" He whispers back quite concerned about her situation. Am I going to buy it? This is surely an act he's putting on. I just fall silent for what it seems to be an eternity and I stare at him intensely. He mildly nods then and doesn't dare to meet my gaze.

"You're a coward." I whisper and spit beside me.

"What?"

"You're here trying to act bravely, facing me and yet you're absolutely unable to stand my gaze. Have you got any plans besides standing here all day looking like the moron you are?"

"Not really."

I chuckle when I hear this.

"You know I'm gonna kick your ass, don't you?" I say with a devilish smirk on my face. "And you know I've got no intention to stop until I _kill_ you, don't you?"

"You won't since you promised Ivy you'd be a better man." He says confidently.

"Well, let me warn you that _since Ivy is no longer the same_ I've got no intention whatsoever to keep up that promise, and do you care to know _specifically_ why that's so?" I say enraged beyond my limits. He just swallows hard. "_Because that promise sprang from the love she had for me!_ Now she doesn't even know who I am! And _you,_ Trunks, _you're_ the asshole who's done this damage! You deserve to be ruthlessly killed! I wish your death could make her come back, but I know it'll be _useless_! I promised I'd help her recover her memories earlier today, but you can be quite sure that I'm gonna kill you anyway! Should she be her own old self again, I wouldn't even apologise to her for killing you… _Because you fucking earned it_!" By the time I'm done saying this, I'm breathing heavily. I've put all my anger in those words.

_Since I'm done talking, I'd better kill him already!_

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

I've managed to escape! It took me quite a while but it was definitely worth it. I'm not going to stay locked in that room until that monster comes back for me. Although I know he could give me clues about what's really going on here (I read all those journals and the adoption file but there's still a huge puzzling gap in my mind), I'm not staying over to chat with him. When he came to my room the last time, he promised he'd help me. His searching eyes were _heavily_ fixed on mine, on my entire body. God knows _why_ he locked me up in there…

It's obvious to me that I was adopted and that I'm a freak or something. _Great_. On top of that, I'm in the middle of God-knows-where. I've never seen such dense forests before, except for those National Geographic documentaries about wildlife. I'm trying to find a town or at least someone who can tell me how to get to my hometown. I just hope I'm not really far…

But what I really find unsettling are these series of small earthquakes which take place every now and then. I can perfectly walk through the forest even though the earth shakes beneath my feet and I can hear some distant screaming and the sound of blows, I think. This is really strange. I would definitely swear that someone's hitting the floor and getting hurt on purpose… _Nonsense_. Why would someone do that?

Anyway, a couple of hours later I find a middle-sized ghost town and blond-haired girl walking on one side of the street and nervously looking back and forth as if someone was following her or whatever. Her blue eyes are amazing and I ask her about the town and everything. I know I'm getting quite pushy at the moment, but _hey, I'm desperate_! All of a sudden, she takes me inside an inhabited building. Its walls seem to be unable to stand on their own for much longer. The state of the _entire_ town seems quite deplorable and horrible to me, as if a tornado or a huge earthquake had reduced civilization to ruins and ashes.

"Nice to meet you, Taylor. I'm Ivy." I politely say as we shake hands.

"You can't be serious about walking to your town, wherever it is. It's too dangerous." She whispers nervously.

"What is it? Why are you so nervous?" I ask genuinely curious.

"Don't you know? There's a _green-skinned monster_ who destroyed everything and who's killed more than half of the Earth's population within a few days! He's nearby… _somewhere_. I accidentally found him yesterday and he knew exactly who I was! I was flabbergasted! I thought he'd kill me, but he started to talk some nonsense to me and in the end he was merciful to me and he let me go. Luckily, a group of people found me and helped me to escape. They told me horrid stories about this monster which I didn't know about and… they seemed to be nice people, but then I discovered that they wanted to sell me as a slave. So I managed to escape again and… here I am."

"What?!" I yell dumbstruck. Then, she immediately covers my mouth with both her hands so that I can't call anyone's attention. I get it. I get paler and paler because I realize I've been so close to _this_ monster lately. I freeze when I admit to myself it's a miracle I'm still alive. And on top of that, Taylor's personal story is horrible!

"You have to come with me." Taylor goes on secretively. "I have a secret hiding place. We can both stay there until things go back to normal. These strange earthquakes keep coming from the woods and I have the weird feeling this is no good for us. Besides, this town is crazy… The people have become completely mad. I really feel like living in a science fiction film about Armageddon or whatever. There are no rules, no laws, no civility, _nothing_… I tried to make friends out there since I can't find my family or anyone I know, but everyone is too selfish. They just look for a chance to steal from you or to… Anyway…" She hesitates and does not dare to go on. "Come with me. I'll show you my place if you promise you'll be my friend in these tough times. Do you promise to look for each other?" Her pleading eyes are a bit moist and I totally get the feeling.

"I do, Taylor. I completely do." I say seriously. "God knows what's in store for us. Let us be together at least."

When she smiles at me, I feel warm inside. I truly feel as if I'm home already.

* * *

A couple of days go by and Taylor has proven to be one of the best friends that I've ever had in my entire life. We've shared our stories and memories, our doubts, our fears, our thwarted plans… _Everything_. She's struck a chord deep within me that no one had ever reached before.

It's midday, but you'd never swear it is because the sun can't be seen anywhere in the sky. In fact, the clouds are so thick and dark grey that you'd say you'll never be able to see the daylight again. Although it's the end of February and despite this bleak weather, it's not exactly cold, but quite otherwise, which is odd. It starts to rain quite heavily.

Suddenly, we hear a buzzing noise coming from the sky and we hide in our secret spot, hoping it'll fade away soon. Unfortunately, it doesn't. It gets louder and louder until it stops abruptly. When it does, I can hear the sound of two feet touching the moist ground and I swallow hard. I dare to look outside the window to check what's going on. Taylor is usually a lot more scared than I am when something unexpected happens, which is the case now, but I guess she's been enduring this whole crap of a situation longer than me. I can't dare to imagine what she might've been through…

Anyway, the green-skinned monster has just landed outside our modest half-destroyed flat and seems to be looking for someone because he searches the surroundings with his eyes in an inquisitive mode and then he looks straight to our front door, which is locked with some wooden thick bars as if it was a god-forsaken place. We usually use the windows to come in and out. As Cell (I still believe it's a very stupid name) approaches our front door, I get hold of the hockey stick I found yesterday in a room on the first floor (I imagine it might've been the bedroom of a hockey player and I got really attached to it since we feel so insecure in this crazy _Blade-Runner_-like scenario) with might and then I whisper to Taylor:

"Go to the kitchen, at the back, now."

"What for?"

"What do you think?" I whisper sarcastically.

We fall silent and she becomes paler as my grip on the stick becomes firmer.

"No, no, no…" She whispers to me in despair.

"Don't waste more time. He's at the door already. Go!" I whisper with authority. Seeing that she just clings to my jeans and starts to shake violently, I sigh and whisper kindly to her: "You don't want to face him, do you? Or _can_ you?"

When we talked about ourselves to each other, I told her I'm usually brave in the face of danger, that I don't mind taking risks, whereas she usually panics and freezes when she's under pressure. She knows I can deal with this, at least at a psychological level. I cannot win (that I perfectly know), but I can put up a good damn fight.

Cell breaks the wooden bars and 'opens' the door, i.e. he destroys it. Luckily for us, he's still in the parlor trying to get through a ton of rubbish I left behind the door just to make the place a bit safer. Then, I get hold of her arms and shake her. She gasps once and seems to be back her own self.

"If I can escape, we can meet by the harbor. There's a little cottage and a small cave on the left. If I'm not there in a couple of hours, leave further away." I whisper with vehemence. "Taylor, flee! Now!"

Fortunately for me, she does as told this time. I can hear her clumsy footsteps as he runs to the kitchen and beyond to God-knows-where. I hope she doesn't get a cold due to this mad weather… Cell is making his way through the rubbish in the parlor and I think he knows I'm in this adjoining little room. I start to sweat. I clench my teeth and frown as I listen very carefully to Cell's unbearably slow steps as they tread on the floor towards the door of the room I'm in. I swallow hard and try not to breathe as hard as I'm doing right now, lest he might hear me, even though the noise of the pouring rain is _not_ precisely gentle at the moment – fortunately for me, of course. Anyway, I need to catch him unguarded and hit him with my hockey stick before he notices my presence: that's the best shot I have at defeating him right now. Yes, I must take advantage from the surprise factor.

All of a sudden, I can no longer hear his footsteps or his breathing. It's as if he was suddenly gone. Has he flown away? Really? Has that stupid ton of rubbish made him think this place was inhabited? I raise an eyebrow and stare stupidly at the closed door. I stay like this for what it seems to be an eternity to me and then I try to listen a bit harder.

Nothing. Just the pouring rain flooding the area.

As I do so, I feel my blood chill and I begin to wonder whether Cell is looking for me deliberately. I assume so. He seemed to know me and the way he was looking at me was extremely confusing to me, but he seemed truly worried about me. He said I was _his girlfriend_… and to this day I still believe he was bluffing. I silently panic when I envision him actively searching for me. _What for_?

I feel my heart throb at the tip of my fingertips as I lift my right hand towards the doorknob.

"_Gotcha_." His husky voice softly rings from behind my left ear.

He hugs me from behind so that I can't move an inch. I gasp due to the amazement. That's when I begin to feel dizzy because I know he's right here and he's got me… and _I can't defend myself_. I can feel his well-built chest on my back and his biceps on either side of me. Then, he takes the hockey stick from my hands, which feel absolutely numb right now, and throws it to a wall, so much so that it gets smashed into smithereens.

"You won't need that." He adds whispering.

I can't verbalize anything. Then, his scent overpowers my senses and, oddly enough, I feel as if I _should_ turn around and kiss him… as if I _wanted_ to. I get mad at myself because of this nasty thought, but before I can even try to shake it off, Cell leans his head on my left shoulder very gently, although his hold on me is still quite strong. I can feel his warm breath on my skin and I get goose bumps.

The rain keeps madly banging on the ground outside.

I don't dare to move and then he caresses both of my exposed forearms with the tip of one of his fingers, which by the way is soaked due to the heavy rain. I gasp because of the touch. Suddenly, I have the strange feeling that this is familiar to me… but I don't know why. I close my eyes and frown: I need to focus on getting rid of him and escaping.

"Ivy, why did you escape?" Cell whispers to me quite kindly. Is this really the ruthless monster that Taylor had portrayed to me a couple of days ago? "You know I can help you. I promised you that I would, remember?"

This soothing voice of his rings a bell and my brain seems to shut the whole system down. I keep my eyes closed, but I stop frowning and relax. I can't understand why I'm getting this reaction, but I must admit it feels real good… I get carried through by his sexy tone of voice as he keeps talking to me.

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

Ivy is not exactly scared of me right now. Good. I somehow expected that bearing in mind that she's not the scared-cat type of girl.

I'm hugging her from behind and I don't dare to let her go. She's quite unpredictable and I want her to listen to me. I need to tell her that I care for her in a way that no one has ever cared for her – and that she has consented that to happen, among other things. The only thing which stops me from telling her _absolutely everything _is her potential reaction to our love-making. She might panic and flee from me again the minute I tell her that _we love each other so much that she consented having intercourse with me_. She's probably not ready to know that _yet_, although I'm desperately craving to touch her… Her suggestive neckline and curvy shape of her body don't help me to focus right now. _And her closed eyelids and half-parted moist lips are too inviting to be ignored_.

"Ivy, I need to tell you something." I go on whispering to her while the rain keeps pouring from the sky as madly as before. "You need to know that I've never forced you to do anything and I don't plan on starting now, but I need you to understand that I want you to come home and I promise you that you'll be safe there. Can you trust me?"

I check on her, trying not to stare _too indecently_ at her cleavage and trying hard to analyze her reaction, but she just keeps her eyes shut. For a second I think she's asleep… She's so relaxed that I'd swear she's asleep or in a trance.

"Ivy… Can you hear me?"

She slowly turns her head to face me. Her half-closed eyes finally meet mine, which eagerly search for any reaction in hers, but the only thing I see is that her eyes are ablaze with inner peace and seriousness. She knows how to make me feel unarmed… I just swallow.

"What are you thinking?" I ask her whispering.

"Did you destroy everything?" She asks me also whispering, but it seems more like a rhetorical question.

"Well, I did, but I…" I try to excuse myself. I know I'm a sinner, but she loves me anyway.

"Can I _trust_ you, you say?" She adds flatly, no undertone.

I stay for some seconds in silence pondering on what answer to give her. I must be careful. She definitely knows what, how and when to ask something. She might not remember who I am and she might feel delusional about what we have, but she's not completely gone. Her wits and usual spunk are in complete working order.

"You might withhold the information that's missing in my mind, but" She goes on as seriously as before. "that doesn't mean I'm gonna believe anything you tell me."

"Then, what are you planning to do?" I ask gently. I have to digest the fact that she's not coming home with me. I'll have to let her be.

"It's none of your business." She says drily.

We fall silent. She's never broken the eye contact with me even though she knows I can be deadly when I want to. After all it was me who destroyed half the planet… But she's not sheepish or scared at all – she now reminds me of the first time we met: the reckless young girl unleashed, untamed and unashamed of anything she ever says or does.

I just sigh and reluctantly let her go. She parts from me as a precaution. I expect her to run away from me, but when I see that she hesitates and stops, she turns her head to face me for a couple of seconds. By the look in her eyes, she's still wondering why I released her from my grip. She might have a billion questions in her mind (God knows what Trunks did to her memory; I didn't bother to ask him) and it's obvious that she's refraining herself from asking me about them. She's _too proud_ to do that. I know she'd rather go and find the answers on her own, which is what I guess she'll be doing from now on.

"I'm not going with you anywhere." She says then, reaffirming her position.

"I assumed that." I say partly defeated.

Then, she raises an eyebrow at me. I guess she thought I'd kidnap her or something.

"I'm not taking you with me if you don't want to." I insist patiently, although patience is not my forte. "I will hang around. I'll be here whenever you need me… But you must promise me that you won't drink too much and that you won't get into trouble."

"What?!" She can't believe what I've just said. I guess that having a monster like me stalking you all the time and having him begging you not to get into trouble seems too surreal to her right now. I roll my eyes and mildly shrug my shoulders.

"Just don't do anything stupid." I say as I'm about to leave the room before she does.

"Are you out of your _f… _mind?" She asks thunderstruck. She deliberately omitted the F word. I suppose she doesn't want to anger me. I wouldn't get angry at her for that anyway. Not for that, not to her.

"I need some more time to find out what's exactly wrong with you and find a cure, Ivy." I say as I stare out the window. "Just give me some time and I swear I'll be back to help you."

She doesn't answer this time. She only stares at me and freezes. I know she doesn't get anything I'm saying, but I don't care. I just come closer to her as slowly as I can. The rain keeps loudly and rhythmically drumming outside. She doesn't flee from me, which is more than I was hoping for, and I take this chance to lean over her, cup her chin with one of my hands and softly kiss her on her lips once. I don't want to unsettle her more than necessary, so I immediately leave the spot without looking back.

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

He's kissed me.

_OMG_, he's just kissed me! _Oh-oh_… I guess this answers _many_ of the questions I had about him. And about me. About the _fucking gap_ I have in my mind…

I don't know what's bloody wrong with me. I just know I might have done the _dirtiest_ deed of my entire life… because this kiss just felt _too good, too wet, too hot. __I'm such a sinner…_

* * *

_[Krillin's POV]_

"I have an idea." I tell the rest of the gang (except Trunks; I don't have a clue of his whereabouts). "Why don't we go and ask Baba for help? I bet she might have a clue to restore Ivy's memories and about what to do with the Dragon Balls and everything else."

They remain silent. I let my idea soak in.

After a couple of minutes, they start to debate around the idea, but we finally reach an agreement on how to proceed. They firmly believe in my plan, but they distrust my eagerness to include Cell in the whole thing.

"Why not?" I ask blatantly. "I'm sure he'd be glad to help. If he wants to save Ivy and prove that he can be good, here's his chance to do so."

"He may. I don't trust this guy." Piccolo answers drily.

"He can't say no!" I insist enthusiastically. "When Ivy recovers all her memories, she'll know all about it. He needs to act properly before her as much as we need to save the planet. It'll work! What do you think?"

"You're right, Krillin." Bulma whispers. "We should try it. Who's gonna tell him though?"

That's when the whole lot of them turn their heads to me… I swallow hard.

* * *

**Hi there!**

**So now Krillin is taking the lead like it or not. ****_Good_****. Let's see what's he's able to do – or whether he's got the guts to do it… :3**

**Anyway, what do you think Cell has done to Trunks? Is he dead? Or is he alive? Where is Taylor right now? Is she safe? Will Ivy (and Taylor) get her memories back eventually? What will the price be? What about the Dragon Balls? They still need to restore what was destroyed and all the people who died have to come back to life – but the Balls are God-knows-where and they cannot be used yet… So? Now what?**

**Read and review! ;)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


	15. Chapter 15: The Heat

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on ****_IVY'S CELL…_**

"Why not?" I ask blatantly. "I'm sure he'd be glad to help. If he wants to save Ivy and prove that he can be good, here's his chance to do so."

"He may. I don't trust this guy." Piccolo answers drily.

"He can't say no!" I insist enthusiastically. "When Ivy recovers all her memories, she'll know all about it. He needs to act properly before her as much as we need to save the planet. It'll work! What do you think?"

"You're right, Krillin." Bulma whispers. "We should try it. Who's gonna tell him though?"

That's when the whole lot of them turn their heads to me… I swallow hard.

* * *

**Chapter 15: The Heat**

_[Krillin's POV]_

"Hello, Cell! It's me, Krillin. Errrr… I hope I'm not bothering you. I just wanted to… _No, no, no…! What am I doing? This is just too sissy. It's too obvious that I'm scared shitless." _I talk to myself in the forest, quite near Cell's home, trying to figure out a not-_really_-pathetic way of telling Cell about my plan, but I guess I just suck at it. I never managed to get a proper date with a girl. How am I supposed to convince a monster to join me in this quest when it's simply obvious that it may be unsuccessful?

"Hey, Cell. I'm here to make an offer to you… _No! Not 'offer'… A proposal maybe? I'm not satisfied with either word. God, I hate this!" _I put both of my hands over my head as I try my best to think of something good enough to say. When I'm starting to believe that the best option is to leave him a note or something, I come up with something that could work.

"Cell," I whisper to myself as seriously as I can. "I know what's going on with Ivy. Trunks made a reckless choice but he was on his own when he did so. He used the Dragon Balls against her. When the rest of us found it out, we were openly displeased. I've come here today to tell you there might be a chance to restore Ivy's memory. Should you still want to uphold those good-willed values that Ivy mentioned a few days ago, I have some information that would be helpful."

"That's more like it, _little bald dwarf_…" A familiar ice-cold male voice says from a few feet behind my back.

I turn around in a nanosecond to face him, my body getting tense as if I should defend myself and fight until I die. I know it's Cell, but I'm nonetheless flabbergasted when I see him with my very eyes.

"I didn't expect you to find me out here." I whisper to him seriously. I frown because it's obvious that I still cannot trust him. What can I say? I still haven't seen proof of his intentions to become a good man, so I might as well be extra cautious. Just in case.

"And I didn't expect _you_ to come and find me, but I smelled your little pesky 'ki' around my house and I must tell you that you sparked my curiosity." He says with a mild smirk on his face.

We fall silent for some time.

"So, how is she, by the way?" I ask trying to sound a bit more natural than before. I just hope this different tone of voice might help me.

His facial expression darkens as if I had stuck a sensitive chord within him. He's not angry at all (for a second I heart missed a beat because I thought he'd kill me for asking about her wellbeing), but he's extremely blue. I've never seen him like that before and it makes me feel incredibly sorry for him. I can't believe I'm feeling empathy towards him.

"She's fine, more or less." He whispers to me. I know that this answer is a double-edged sword: no matter where you grab it, it's gonna hurt you anyway.

"I've come up with a plan if you're willing to collaborate and prove to her that your intentions are good. What do you say?" I ask seriously.

He raises an eyebrow at me. I bet he's more than eager to know what plan I've come up with. Then, he comes a bit closer to me – and I'm definitely not comfortable with that, but I swallow my fear down and try not to be a chicken. If I want him to trust me, I have to put a brave face.

"Tell me about it." He says half-seriously, half-sadly.

I see it in his eyes: the willingness, the courage, the serenity, the sadness, the resignation, the silent pain, his unspoken worries,… his love for her. Thus, I tell him about Baba and her magical powers.

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

I never thought this little bald guy could be so clairvoyant and smart. He has amazed me. Really.

Krillin has just told me about Baba's magic. He has told me repeatedly that she _may_ or _may not _have a cure for her, but it's worth trying to ask her about it. That's why I've accepted to help and we've set out to her home. She's an extremely odd woman, as far as I'm concerned… I'm told she lives in some sort of rocky palace in a magical place that's not exactly Earth or Heaven or Hell, in the company of living, dead and undead servants like humans, vampires, zombies and demons.

As we approach the location, flying as usual, the sky becomes orange and the colour of the ground beneath me is a dark-blue-and-greyish rocky one. Both Krillin and I land at the entrance of a huge cave, which I imagine it's the entrance.

"Let's go." Krillin tells me as he swiftly comes inside without hesitation. "The place is a bit strange, but I tell you it's normal. Well, sort of… I've been here before. I guarantee this is not a trap."

"_You'd better be rig_ht…" I say bitterly and threateningly. Yeah, I still got trust issues. So what?

"Hey, calm down, will you?" Krillin tells me seriously and daringly as he locks his stare with mine. I guess I overdid it, right? Anyway, at least he's got one chance to impress me and he's nailed it. I never expected him to be able to utter such a sentence to a killer like me.

"Don't start an argument. I hate arguments." The voice of an old woman breaks in quite gently.

I suppose this old white-skinned extremely-wrinkled raisin is the famous witch who might be able to help Ivy. It seems as if she was waiting for us to come. Her dark dress and hat make a really good impression, as much as this amazingly baroque hall which includes gold-embroidered purple curtains everywhere, bamboo decorations in every corner, a dark green marble staircase with gold banisters, large purple sofas with golden legs and matching footrests.

And hey, this is just the hall. This old hag must be loaded.

"Fine." I answer dryly.

"Baba!" Krillin exclaims gently and happily as he comes closer to her.

"How's my brother doin'?" She asks.

"More or less fine, I guess. His arthritis is not literally killing him, but you know."

"I hope he doesn't watch too many fitness programs on TV. You know he gets easily _impressed_…"

"Nice wording. Yeah, I suppose you could say that, but you know him. He just loves them too much." He says smiling.

"Now, I really don't need to ask because I've been following you with my crystal ball, but the two of you make an amazingly odd group."

"You bet." I say as dryly as before.

We all fall silent for some time. I get it: the ancient lady doesn't like my presence here, but she's not going to say anything. Not as long as I'm present, I guess.

"Baba, you know we need your help. Have we made a mistake assuming that you know how to save poor Ivy?" Krillin gently asks this old miniature, non-extinct dinosaur.

"Of course you haven't. I would've suggested you to come here myself, but you're a bit smarter than the rest, Krillin. I'm impressed, son."

"Are you?" He asks genuinely amazed.

"Come here, the two of you." She swiftly says, ignoring Krillin's childish eagerness to be petted like a spoiled kid. "Sit down here, please. Make yourselves at home." She gently says as she motions us to sit on one of those large purple sofas. She sits right across us and then she snaps her fingers a couple of times. Then, then a zombie servant comes in. He's fully dressed as the typical British butler.

"Great Baba, have you called?" The zombie asks very politely.

"Yes, can you bring my crystal ball here, please?" Then she looks straight at us and asks politely: "Would you care for an appetizer or a refreshment? A drink? My dear Franklin is an expert on the latter."

"No, thank you." Both Krillin and I say in unison, which is so odd that it makes us to stare at each other in disbelief. The more time I spend at his side, the more he amazes me. I bet Ivy would find this funny…

"Fine, then. Bourbon for me, Franklin."

"Sure, Great Baba." He says with vehemence as he nods.

Once he's out, we fall silent again. My stern and sad expression doesn't go unnoticed by the old hag.

"I know this is hard for you, Cell, but let me tell you it'll be worth it." She tells me whispering. "I can offer you a chance to recover Ivy's memories. She deserves to be saved as much as you. I'm in earnest when I say this. Believe me. I'm looking forward to helping you to sort things out and enable the whole world to come back to normal. When you were on your way here, I started researching and I want to show you something."

That's when Franklin comes back with her crystal ball and the Bourbon.

"Thank you, Franklin." As soon as she's finished saying this, the butler goes away and leaves us alone again. "As I was saying, I have to show you something. There is a potion which can be obtained from Korin's Tower. Krillin went there some years ago to train there. Goku went there first, of course. But let me warn you: Korin does not own the potion himself. He only owns the entrance to the dark hell in which the potion is kept, am I understood?"

"What do you mean?" Krillin asks intrigued.

"Korin owns a large vase full of… water. It's not exactly water, though. If you look into the water, you cannot see the bottom of the vase: you'll only see darkness." As she speaks, she moves her hands in circles and the crystal ball starts to work. A few seconds later, we can all see the vase and the water. "It's a portal to a hellish dimension guarded by an unknown demon. He's the one in possession of the aforesaid potion. It's said to have healing powers. I read about it long ago in some books I have in the library, but I'm not 100% sure this potion can heal memory loss inflicted by a spell by Shenron." The images of this dark hellish region are blood-chilling and I sense Krillin's body tensing beside mine. I think I heard him swallow. He usually does when he panics.

"Don't worry, buddy." I try to sound moderately nice. "If someone's going in there it's me."

He gasps lightly. I notice Krillin's eyes fixed on me right now, but I'm not looking back at him. My stern facial expression is a rocky shield which quite suits me. I just cross my arms over my chest defiantly. I don't want him to get the wrong idea: I'm doing this for Ivy. I don't fucking care if he lives or dies.

"The hellish creature that lives in this place might want to fight against you." Baba seriously tells me. I feel the weight of wisdom and age on her words.

"Fair enough. I didn't expect less." I say with cheek.

"Or put you to test." She meaningfully adds. "_Or your love for her to test, rather_."

I fall silent for a second.

"I have nothing to fear." I say seriously, eager to enroll on this quest.

"Good." She says smirking.

* * *

I've just left Baba's home.

Krillin agreed to go straight to Korin's Tower and raise his 'ki' once he's there. This means he's going to tell him about the plan and about me coming to the Tower to face this challenge for Ivy.

But before I go there, I want to see her one last time. If I do not come back, at least I shall see her one last time.

* * *

It's quite late at night but I don't care. I come into her place.

All of a sudden, May comes down the staircase to meet me. She's alone. I can't notice Taylor's 'ki' anywhere near here. Luckily, the building hasn't fallen down completely and the staircase still holds on. My jaw loses its usual strength and drops slightly when I see her current attire: she's wearing cute deep red ballerinas, low rider light blue jeans and a white tight T shirt with a suggestive neckline. Her hips dance delightfully as she comes down the stairs. I have to swallow hard.

_Good heavens…_

"You're an angel…" I accidentally whisper before she gets close to me. My cheeks have blushed a bit.

She doesn't answer at all, she just raises an eyebrow at me. I think she's hesitating and nervous. Ivy has noticed the way I've blushed when I've seen her in the same way that she has just noticed that she likes my well-built abs, biceps and triceps.

"I heard you coming." She whispers to me.

Her voice makes me hot, so much so that I am unable to answer.

"Why are you here?" She asks seriously, still whispering. She's not angry at me, just extremely nervous. She's tense, but I'd swear she's thrilled to see me. I guess I made an impression on her the last time I was here.

"Ivy, I…" I whisper to her. "I think I've found a cure for you."

"I don't need a cure." She tells me seriously.

"What?" I ask naively.

"I don't need a cure. I'm not ill. I'm perfectly fine."

"But your memory is impaired. You need help, you need…"

"I need you to leave me alone." Her tone of voice is serene and serious. She's never angry, which is extremely odd in her. "I don't need anybody's help." This makes me frown.

"Chill out, Ivy. You know I don't mean any harm." I try to soothe her.

"No, it's just that…" She tries to explain, but she gets mildly aggressive in the meantime. "Stop pushing me around!"

"I'm not pushing you around…"

"Yes, you are! What the hell are you doing here anyway?!" She sighs and then proceeds. "Look, stop looking for me. You freak me out."

"Relax. I don't mean to push you around. I just want to _help_ you." I say a bit too aggressive. Ironically, my tone of voice does not help.

"Do you think you're responsible for me or _something_?! This is crazy. I'll manage on my own! I can do it!" She says taking a threatening and intimidating step towards me (I love it since I can perfectly see her wonderful neckline), pointing a finger at me. "I don't care who you are, the memories I've lost and what you think. Just leave me alone!"

"Do you really want to fight me now?" I point out with more aggressiveness, coming closer to her intimidatingly as well. "Do you know what I'm capable of?!"

As soon as I've uttered this sentence, I regret it. Of course she knows what I'm capable of… Her skin gets paler and she swallows once. That's when I realize she was only putting a brave face and acting courageous.

"Ivy,…" I whisper as I try to extend my arms around her, but as soon as she notices it, she takes a couple of steps back, scared.

"What intentions do you have?" She whispers scared like hell.

"Do you really think I'm gonna hurt you?" I say hurt and serious, but calm.

"Why not? _Prove_ it. For all I know, you're the monster that has destroyed half the planet." Her voice trembles as she's uttering this sentence.

"I've found a cure for your memory loss. I care for your well-being."

"You might be lying to me." She whispers enraged, but she doesn't let her anger flow out of her like before. I guess she doesn't want to piss me off, lest I should break her porcelain-like delicate and irresistible neck.

"Why should I? I love you." I whisper.

"You can't. It's impossible."

"Why?!" Her insistence is beginning to bother me.

"A monster like you is incapable of love. Love is a blessing you don't deserve."

"And yet you were willing to trust me and bless me with _your_ love."

"_I said I don't believe you_!"

I grunt and stare frowning heavily at her. I'm officially pissed off right now, because I don't have any proof whatsoever to prove her wrong. I've never given her a token of my love, never given her a ring or anything; never made photos with her; never… I clench my teeth and fists. _I'm so fucking fed of this whole situation_!

That's when I can't take this anymore. I come closer to her, so much so that when she tries to escape from me, I grab her by her arms and nail her to the wall. She gasps due to the amazement. I push my body against hers. I can feel her fast heartbeat against my chest, fluttering as the warmth of her skin gently invades mine. Her warm breath escapes from her half-parted lips and accidentally caresses the skin of my neck.

"Don't you tell me you don't feel anything?" I whisper huskily to her in her right ear, half-grunting with my badly-repressed anger, although I'm hot for her. I see how goose bumps appear on her neck and shoulder. "I could kill the rest of the humans on Earth right now… Then, there would only be you and me on the surface of this lonely planet." I whisper defiantly to her, shooting the horrid sentence right into her right ear again. She turns crimson. She notices my breath on her skin again and she feels suddenly too hot. I know that because she just can't hold a little delicate moan in her throat.

"So this is the way you prove stuff: by being destructive." She replies daringly.

"No, but don't underestimate me."

"_God, you're loathsome. I could never love you_…" She whispers defiantly. Instead of fighting to get free from my hold on her, she pulls her own face closer to my face and whispers with a smile on her face: "So leave me alone, _monster_."

I can't help but drop my eyes down until they meet what's just below her neckline.

Acting like this bewilders me to the extent that I lose grip on her arms and blush a bit, and she is free again. She turns her back on me and walks away from me. I just can't take my eyes from her butt in these low rider jeans… _God_, she's hot.

"Go home, Cell. Wherever that is." She whispers gently. "Don't look for me again." She turns a bit to meet my eyes with sadness. "Let this be the _last_ time, please. I'm _sick_ of having you around."

"_WTF_, Ivy! I'm _not_ buying it. You're definitely hot and wet for me and you know that." I yell at her with pride.

"WHAT?! You're crazy!" She yells flabbergasted and blushes.

"You can't deny it! I've heard your heart madly racing against my chest!" My muscles get tense as I say this and she notices it. I know I'm acting like a peacock. "You feel hot for me. You're…"

"I'm not…" She breaks in before I can continue. She bites her lower lip. God, she's really angry at me now…

"What? Go on. Dare to deny it. You're lying to yourself." I say with cheek. Our fierce eyes never break contact.

"Cell, go home now, please. _Enough_!"

"That's because I'm right, aren't I?" I say defiantly with a smirk on my face and glowing eyes as I take a couple of steps towards her. "You lust after me…"

"No way! You're messing with my head. I hate you! _I'll never admit such a thing_!"

"I'll _make you_, then." I say decisively and staring so intensely into her eyes that she's obviously feeling weak. Her legs are suddenly weak for a second – I can see her shivering lightly – and I bet that she does not know exactly why.

Having said this, we fight right there and then. She clearly does not want to carry on with this and tries to dissuade me verbally, but it's not use. I keep pushing her around so that she admits she's got feelings for me just to keep me from fighting at this hour at night, but she sees my intentions and refrains from falling into my trap. Smart as usual, I see… She keeps her mouth shut although I keep making her mad. Her athletics' skills are quite useful now to be able to avoid my attacks.

At one point, she gets too enraged, feels the urge to counterattack me and pushes me to the floor. She sits on top of me and she grabs one of my wrists. With her other hand, she just slaps me once. I'm thunderstruck. I still have to process how much I like to stare at the exposed skin of her waist. God, she could kill me with her waist! Then, she uses her free hand as it were a knife or a sword and places it under my chin, as if attempting to cut the skin of my neck with this hypothetical blade, making me rest my head on the floor with my chin a bit higher than normal. She's deliberately trying to cut my breath. With my free hand, I grab the hand which is on my neck and I try to pull it off. We struggle for some time.

"So this is it?" I manage to whisper to her with a smirk on my face. "Is this how you prove things, Ivy? By being aggressive?"

"You're a pain in the ass! Admit it!" She whispers and smirks.

"Never."

"Promise you'll stop pushing me around, that you'll stop hassling me! Then, I'll let you go." She whispers seriously.

"If you take the cure, I promise I will. But not now." I whisper back.

"Oh, yeah, right, I get it. You want a second chance 'cos you haven't succeeded right now…" She says with pride and cheek. "I've beaten you. Face it."

"No, it's not like this. I…" I try to explain.

"Then, what?! You're always pushing me. You're always around me, telling me that you care for me and stuff! And yet you destroyed everything! No matter how hard I try to figure it out, I never seem to _understand_ you!" She says clearly offended. I'm amazed. I guess she's been thinking about me. I shut up for a while until she whispers with exhasperation: "God, I _hate_ you so fucking much… _because you puzzle me_."

Having said this, she loses the strength to keep me quiet under her hand and feels the need to flee from me. Her eyes are mildly moist. I take this chance so that I'm the one that now lies on top of her: I roll on top of her and she seems to let me do it. Now I'm the one holding her neck with one hand and grabbing one of her wrists with the other. She's not even applying any degree of strength. In spite of having the control on the situation, I am not happy with it. I know she has let herself do this somehow, even willingly perhaps. I get my face closer to hers and whisper calmly:

"What are you doing?"

"You'll never stop, will you? I know. You may consider you've won tonight… But _I_ didn't promise I'd admit anything if you did." She whispers and smiles with naught. "I'll just shut up until the only thing left for you to do is give up on me. You'll never find out…"

"What?" I feel hurt. "Why?"

"C'mon. Go get this bloody cure. Use it on me if you _dare_." She smirks. "Because you care so _fucking_ much about me… I bet you're _unable_ to respect my wishes."

I realize it's true and I get scared because that's not even remotely what I intended to do tonight from the very beginning. I feel my sweat becoming extremely cold. The way her eyes suddenly become weak and sheepish beneath me, as if telling me she's willing to be hurt by me just to prove me wrong… horrible, masochistic even.

"You're… smart." I finally whisper soothingly. "You've never wanted to fight with me tonight, yet you have 'cos of my stubborn, _stupid_ attitude. And you've beaten me. Not only once, but _twice_ now. Unbelievable…" I sigh and blush. "I'm sorry, Ivy. I… I didn't mean to…"

I drop my wand and feel awful. She's the only one who can make me feel like this. Then, we shut up for what seems to be an eternity and we both realize we have ended up lying together, too close to each other, me on top of her and still grabbing one of her wrists. My face is barely three or four centimeters over hers, my chest is half leaning on hers, her nipples are hard, I can feel the touch of the skin of her stomach on the skin of my abs, our hips meet one to one down below, her legs are not parted but mine are too close to hers, as if they are embracing them.

Then, her eyes are half-way close, staring at me with no questions on her mind, just asking herself why isn't she pulling me off and rushing to God-knows-where without saying a thing, locking all doors with all her might in order to feel safe. I can't help but returning her magical stare to her, as if my eyes were locked into hers, and then I very slowly get my face closer to hers, little by little. I'm about to kiss her. I brush slightly the tip of her lips with mine and all of a sudden she feels a wave of sweet heat and tension flowering down her spine, which makes her moan and panic to an unknown extent. I know that because she suddenly pushes me away and rushes away from me, blushing a bit too much and hot like the sun in a summer day at midday in the desert.

I'm appalled and let her go. I guess this is too much for her. _Good God! The heat! We were on fire even though she is unable to remember how much I mean to her_…

I guess her reaction proves me right in the end.

* * *

**Hi there!**

**More hot stuff… God, I love hot stuff! :3 I am feeling so hot that I'm posting this without proofreading it. (So I hope there aren't too many mistakes... Sorry, dear readers!)**

**Anyway, will Ivy admit she likes him? Will Cell manage to get the cure? Will Krillin be a helpful ally? Or is he just leading Cell into a trap? Will Trunks come back and help? Or is he dead because Cell killed him during that nasty fight?**

**The answers and more… in the next chapter.**

**Read and review! ;)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


	16. Chapter 16: This is a two-people thing

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on ****_IVY'S CELL…_**

Then, her eyes are half-way close, staring at me with no questions on her mind, just asking herself why isn't she pulling me off and rushing to God-knows-where without saying a thing, locking all doors with all her might in order to feel safe. I can't help but returning her magical stare to her, as if my eyes were locked into hers, and then I very slowly get my face closer to hers, little by little. I'm about to kiss her. I brush slightly the tip of her lips with mine and all of a sudden she feels a wave of sweet heat and tension flowering down her spine, which makes her moan and panic to an unknown extent. I know that because she suddenly pushes me away and rushes away from me, blushing a bit too much and hot like the sun in a summer day at midday in the desert.

I'm appalled and let her go.

I guess her reaction proves me right in the end.

* * *

**Chapter 16: This is a two-people thing**

_[Ivy's POV]_

_WTF has just happened?!_

I don't understand what's wrong with me! It's as if I'm no longer in control of what I think and do _when he's around_! This is beyond _horrible_! Why do I keep reacting like this when he comes to me?! I _don't_ get it! He's a monster and _yet_… _yet _I feel as if I needed him, as if I was nothing without him.

When he's that close to me, like this last time we've met, everything changes. Time ceases to exist and the lyricism of the moment fills the air… It has filled my lungs quite demandingly and possessively as if I couldn't breathe the way I did before. His lips taste like the most addictive nectar I've ever tasted – and yet he's _just_ brushed the very tip of his lips over mine. Why do my eyelids burn? Why does my throat feel so numb and useless that I can only moan? Why do my legs and arms feel so weak and feeble under his touch?

Why does it have to be this way?

* * *

It's been half an hour since I left him.

I've just told what has happened and how I feel to Taylor. I told her to meet again by the harbor after she fled away the first day Cell came here. I told her to hide and meet there, if I managed to stay alive. When I've found her and told her how I felt, she's just told me I was crazy… Yeah, I get it. I must be mad right now. This is just not logic at all… Something that I cannot fully grasp is going on, but Taylor refuses to see me the way she did before. She's looked meanly at me… but I feel the need to know more about Cell and me.

Does it have anything to do with that bloody cure that Cell was talking about earlier? Should I do something about it? Should I go and find out for myself now that Taylor has fled from me as if I were a monster?

I haven't dared to stop her from escaping from me. Come to think of it… it's obvious: if I'm such a magnet for Cell, no wonder she doesn't want me around.

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

I feel Krillin's 'ki' raising and this means he's already told everything to Korin, so now I can come and look for the potion. I hope I can manage to get it fast and give it to Ivy… I don't want this whole memory-loss situation to go on for any longer. I need her to come back to normal and make her happy.

When I arrive at Korin's tower, Trunks is _surprisingly_ there too and he suddenly offers his help to me. He mumbles something about regretting what he did and _bla bla bla_… _God_, he's the most tiresome dude I've ever come across! And I tell him so. I insult him in any possible way and ignore him right after that. He doesn't dare to answer. I rage internally because I can't stand the mere sight of him, but I don't want to waste any more time on him. I probably should've killed him when I got the chance. But then again, I fear Ivy's reaction when she comes back to normal. I thought it might be best to be cautious then and just focus on what's really important now: _her_, and only _her_, wellbeing. That's why I spared his stupid life that day… and today.

Krillin and Korin tell Trunks to step aside quite dryly (and I can't help but chuckling and smirking because I guess they hate him as much as I do), and then he flies away… To God-knows-where. Korin then unveils the famous vase to me, which will lead me to the potion.

Once Trunks is gone (for good, I hope), I tell Krillin to keep Ivy company quite seriously but calmly. I tell him where she is and he nods to me quite convinced. Good… That's when I enter the aforementioned vase and look for the potion.

This is going to be more difficult than I initially thought… It's like a labyrinth of shadows and a thousand quicksands of darkness.

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

When I am about to start looking for Cell myself, I see a bald short guy flying down towards me… Weird. He looks friendly. Then, he starts talking to me as if he knew me. _OK_… I guess Cell was right about me losing my memory, because I think I should be able to remember this guy and I don't. We chat about the things he knows about me to prove me that he can be trusted (and I'm flabbergasted to discover that he knows details about my life back in my town and… _God_, he tells me I told him _myself_ a few weeks ago!). He really sparks my curiosity and after a few more minutes chatting I dare to ask him the most dreaded question in my mind right now: _what Cell means to me_.

When I do so, he lets out a long '_uf'_ and raises his eyebrows at me.

"What?" I ask him naively.

"I don't feel… I think I _shouldn't_ tell you about this. Anyway, how a person feels about someone else is something _strictly_ personal."

"Don't be like _that_ to me. You know me… I can see that. You _must_ know about how I had felt before the memory loss."

"I do, but you must understand that…"

"_Bollocks_! Just tell me! I need to know!"

"But…"

"Krillin!"

"OK! OK! _Fine_… Don't get mad at me! Look, Cell and you had a _thing_…"

"He's told me he's my boyfriend. Is it true?" I say straightforwardly.

"I guess so, since both of you had been living together for some time now. You started pretty badly at the beginning, arguing and _all_ (you wanted to escape all the time), but after some weeks you started to feel attracted to each other. How? I don't know. But believe me when I say that, when the second edition of the Cell Games took place and then you told us about both of you being together and the fact that you managed to convince Cell to become a good man, I was _completely_ thunderstruck. I never thought of him as capable of feeling love or being redeemed. _You_ did it. _You changed him_. It's amazing, believe me."

"_What_?!" I ask beyond amazed. I think that my feelings for him are currently developing into ways I would've never expected. _Again_, I guess. That's why I feel hot when he's around. My own body is telling me the truth about myself and I've failed to grasp it.

Then, Krillin tells me about a guy called Trunks and how he's just recently visited him and Korin to offer himself to help to get my memory back, but he was told to step aside and fortunately he did and didn't put up a fight. Krillin tells me he's the one who messed with my head in the first place. I immediately get angry with the guy, even though I can't remember who he is or his physical appearance or anything…

Anyway, I've got _more important things_ to do right now: I've got to do something to restore my memory.

"I should go and help Cell to find that cure he was talking about." I say seriously, frowning. "Take me to him. _Now_."

"_What_!?" Krillin asks amazed.

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

I find _no one_ here. No potion, no nothing…

Baba told us there would be some kind of test or something, so I guessed I'd find _someone_ around here to fight against, but I guessed wrong. I'm _alone_ down here. The potion is nowhere to be seen. The darkness and the silence are my only companions. I refuse the idea that this is a trap set up by the guys to trap me and get rid of me for good… _I refuse to think that I've lost Ivy forever_. I try to refuse these nasty thoughts, but as time goes by it gets more difficult.

Why should I _trust_ them anyway? Maybe I should've asked Krillin or Korin to come down here with me. If they had invented some excuse not to come down with me, then it might've been quite clear that this was indeed a trap. I've been so _stupid_! They have _fooled_ me! I did this for Ivy and for her wellbeing and I've been fooled by them!

I let my rage flow and I destroy as much as I can, although I'm not sure that this dimension's quicksands and darkness can be actually destroyed. I think I should come back immediately and get my revenge. _Now_!

Unexpectedly, as soon as I turn my back and try to head back to the entrance of the vase, I see a small table in the distance. There's a small dark flask on it… Lonely like an eagle in the midday sky flying over a canyon, like a king ruling single-handedly on his throne, like me… And it's _not_ guarded or protected. No shield, no beast, no guard, no nothing. _Weird_… I should be careful anyway. Just in case.

So I guess that the guys have not fooled me in the end. The potion story was true. They never meant to trick me or anything. They really expect me to be able to save Ivy and get her memories back. But I don't have time now to think about this and regret my most recent thoughts about getting revenge. I need to get the potion now.

I can take the small bottle and nothing happens. I do it silently and slowly. I keep staring around me. _Nothing_. _No one_. Weird. Only silence. I really expected someone to show up, but nothing. Maybe Baba was wrong, but I have the feeling that that old lady is _never_ wrong… I swallow once as I stare at the flask. Then, I decide to come back asap and start to run to where I've come from.

The next thing I know, I hear the _dearest_ voice I've ever heard in my entire life.

"Hi there, Cell…" Ivy tells me as I stare at her thunderstruck. Her wonderful eyes stare directly at mine and I swear I could melt right now. Her curves earn a warm welcome into my eyes.

"Ivy! What are you doing here?!" I ask amazed.

"I'm not the type of girl who sits around and waits to be rescued." She says seriously. Her eyes are intensely fixed on mine all the time and I love it. I could die right now and I'd be happy. "_Good_. You found it. Give it to me." She commands dryly.

"Ivy… How did you get here?" I ask her as I come closer to her.

"Like you, _silly_. Now give it to me." Her voice is a bit too dry to my liking. It reminds me to her voice when she was angry and defiant to me but never dared to display it _openly_ to me because she _feared_ me. Back in the _old_ days…

"Are you alright, Ivy?" I ask whispering, not letting go of the small bottle, although she's got both of her soft hands on mine, around the flask. I comb a rebel lock of her hair behind her ear as we stare at each other.

"Sure. Why?" She smiles briefly at me. Her smell is slightly different. Maybe it's this sick, God-forsaken place.

"Because you… you…" I hesitate.

"I what?" She asks raising an eyebrow at me quite defiantly. I used to love this, because I knew we could spend an eternity teasing each other like this, but now I feel that this is something different.

"_Nothing_…" I whisper back at her. Then, as I lean down to kiss her, I take her scent deep within and it feels too dangerously sweet, too overwhelming. When my lips touch hers, they are cold… But they feel so _fucking good_ when she answers back every single move of my lips over hers… _God_, I had missed this earnest kissing so much!

Then, I frown and part from her, even though she is not done kissing me back. Both her hands are firmly gripping my hand which is still holding the flask. All the bloody time.

"Well, will you give it to me or not? Come on."

"I don't think so." I say seriously. "Because you're _not_ her."

"Cell! Come on! Are you _mad_?" She asks me trying to sound natural and carefree. She lets go of my hand. "How long have you been down here? Has someone been messing with your head too?"

"If you're trying to impersonate her, you could've at least bothered to make her sound more heavenly when asking this to me. She'd never smirk like this to me, not even when she's mad at me. She used to be like this to me before, but not anymore. Not even with her memory gone." I say enraged as she smirks devilishly at me with more intensity than before. "She doesn't smell this sweet anyway. This is excessive!"

"And yet I got this information from your head…" She says almost hissing.

"Don't you dare to mess with my head! Who the hell are you anyways?!"

"I'm Ivy now. That's all you need to know." She says as her face darkens and her eyes grow a bit bigger and brighter.

"You're not her. You shall _never_ be her!"

"And yet that's all you'll be seeing of her from now on… You'll never be able to escape from here." She says playfully and joyfully as she was rejoicing in my doom. Her hair starts to float all around her as if she were snaked-hair Medusa. Her fangs grow and I can no longer see her eyes. I just see a couple of white-enlightened burning orbs.

"Not even if I give you the flask, right? You'd _never_ let me go."

"That's right. No one has dared to come to my reign to steal it from me and has escaped alive." Her voice reminds me of a snake. She starts to float in the air, extending both her arms around her. Her silhouette is sickly sexy now that I notice, but the air around her is toxic, like the water around a salamander.

"I'm _sorry_ to let you down then." I say with sarcasm, smirking at her.

She chuckles freely. She doesn't care, I see.

"Show me your true face and fight against me if you dare!" I yell.

"In a minute. But I'm sure you won't like it." She says as she slowly keeps metamorphosing into something more horrid.

"Stealing Ivy's face is the worst sin you can ever commit. I'm not worried about how awful you are."

She (assuming it's something female, of course) just laughs hysterically at me. Once her transformation is over, I must admit that she's not exactly physically disgusting. She's not just deadly cute, no. _No_, she's the kind of hot woman that makes you fear she's a _femme fatal _who's just about to take all your money, your body, your will and your soul.

"I'm actually _glad_ to have you around, Cell." She says happily. Her voice is silky, sensual, but venomous. "It's been a long time since someone came here. And yet, no one's been this interesting and lonely… and _ruthless_. You're the perfect villain and I love it! Usually, it's a brave, pure-hearted _hero_ the one who dares to come down here. To save their beloved princess! _Ha_! I usually play with them, I make them break down and cry and then, I tempt them to come to bed with me… And one after the other, they just lay with me as if they had _no_ beloved princess up there. It makes me laugh whenever they openly admit that they have enjoyed me in ways they could never experience their sweet princesses… I make them become _wicked_. They tell me they love me and all sorts of things… And then I eat them whole… They're _delicious_!" She comes closer to me, tempting me, and then proceeds with a seductive voice: "Will you lay in bed with me, sweet pea?"

"You're sick."

"And so are you, Cell. I'll let you do _anything_ to me… things that you can't do to Ivy because she'd hate you or you'd kill her. You don't need to fear about me. I cannot be broken."

"Keep dreaming, _bitch_."

"I'm more resilient than her… _Try me_, Cell. You know you want it, naughty boy…" She says licking her teeth and smiling to me as if she was a showgirl.

That's when I smash a 'ki' ball in the middle of her face and she shrieks and laughs at the same time. She's the weirdest enemy I've ever had to face. Her eyes are burnt and I'm sure she can no longer see me. I get his chance to escape as swiftly as I can, but then the walls, ground and ceiling change their forms and I find myself in a room from which I cannot escape. No doors, no windows, nothing but a large bed with blood-shot satin bed sheets. I chuckle. She smiles and chuckles back at me as an answer.

"I hate you." I tell her.

"I know. And yet I'll make you 'love' me the way you do Ivy."

"_Never_!" I say enraged.

"I _really_ like you…" She says in earnest. "**_Let's make a deal_**, Cell: I'll let Ivy have the potion. You'll _save_ her. You won't have to worry about her. She'll have her memories back, as you wanted. But…"

"What do you want? _Sex with me_?" I ask defiantly.

"Yes, forever. You stay with me and never come back anymore." She says seriously.

"No!" I say without thinking about it twice.

"Think about it, Cell. Don't tell me it's not tempting you. You'd save her."

"But then I can no longer enjoy her! Never! I'd have to stay with you, bitch!"

"_I'm like you_, Cell. A monster, a ruthless and empty-hearted, damned lonely and godly creature. Don't forget this. Ivy is a heavenly creature, but you _don't_ deserve her. You'll never fit in her world and you know that. The hopes you have on her and the rest of humans are just a beautiful illusion, but nothing more. Admit it."

I shut up because I know it might be true. It's not that I've never come across this thought before. I just didn't care as long as Ivy would be by my side.

"You _cannot_ convince me of staying with you." I say almost grunting with pride.

"I know I _don't have to_ _convince_ _you_, Cell." She says smiling. "Not because I can actually force you to stay, but because you've _already_ thought about this. And you hate it because it's _true_."

I shut up, but she goes on.

"Honestly, I'm offering this chance to do one _last_ beautiful thing for her before she breaks your heart and the human beings take advantage of your naivety and trust. What do you say? Do we have a deal?" She asks as if she already had what she wanted as she extends her right hand towards me so that I can shake it and close our deal.

I stare at the flask in my hand. Then, I clench my teeth and my fists. Her deal is tempting, but I can't face the fact that I'd be losing Ivy forever. If she breaks my heart and those people who I believe that can be trusted betray me in the end, I need to face it myself. This is and will be my problem. I shall not assume they'll behave this way and refuse them a chance. A few days ago I was begging to have a chance to be trusted myself. Now I need to see whether they will finally trust me enough to grant me a life at Ivy's side. The bitch can't tell me what's supposed to be right, can she?

_I have to get rid of this manipulative slut!_

"You can always have a fantasy jerking off with the thought of me." I say with cheek as I gather all my 'ki' and manage to destroy the walls around me.

She's too bewildered to react and, right after I've smashed all walls around me into smithereens, a huge cloud of dust cloaks me and I get this chance to escape from her. I can hear her shouting at me, but I couldn't care less.

Not long after our parting, I think I've reached the entrance of the vase. I can see a dim light in the distance. I run faster and faster. I'm _almost_ there. I sweat and sweat as I increase my speed. I feel the adrenaline running free within me like a stampede of wild horses…

When I reach out my hand and climb the vase, I manage to eventually come out unharmed. I wonder where the hell is she, that idiotic dark lady who reigns down there in that dimension… And then I can hear a high-pitched screeching sound which is coming closer and closer from down below the dark substance within the vase. I guess I shall never know what shall become of her, because I close the vase with its lid as firmly as I can. Afterwards, the lid and the vase shake wildly, but I make my grip on them firmer than before until the shivering stops.

"Can the creatures that belong to the other side come here?" I ask worried to Korin.

"To our dimension? No, _thank God no_!" Korin exclaims calmly and he chuckles. That makes me feel relieved. I sigh and close my eyes.

"_Thank you_…" I whisper exhausted. I guess I haven't realized how hard I am breathing, how tired I feel and how exhausted I am until now. Then, I have to kneel down and try to breathe evenly. Korin stares at me and realizes I've succeeded at getting the potion.

"Take it easy now, Cell." Korin tells me gently. "The struggle is over. You don't need to worry about anything else now."

In this kind of situations, I would've answered proudly something like '_why do you fucking care_?', but now I know I don't need to react like this. Korin seems to be a good old sage.

"Tell me, Korin." I try to say earnestly as I catch my breath. "Is it really _all_ over?"

He seems to muse on this and then he answers my question with a wise voice.

"The only really important thing to do now is to give Ivy this potion. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't worry about anything else." He says with a quiet, gentle smile. "Believe it or not, Krillin and I have got faith in you. We'll figure something out to fix the Earth and your place in it later. Don't worry."

"You aren't lying to me, are you? Do you think I have a chance?"

"You've still got trust issues, I see." He says a bit amused and chuckles. "Wait and see then. I'm sure you'll be quite surprised then."

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

Krillin has finally persuaded me to stay and let Cell handle this. I'm told he's in an unknown dark dimension to get the potion that will cure me. He insists it's a hard, dangerous mission. We're sitting on the steps of the veranda of this ruined house I've taken shelter in. Krillin's kept me busy talking about Cell, about Trunks, about anything that he thinks it's important that I should know. _God_, I wish Taylor was here to listen to all this! She'd understand what's really going on and she wouldn't fear me or Cell anymore! _I miss you so much, Taylor_!

Anyway, it's getting dark now. The sun sets and we fall silent. I wonder how long the waiting's gonna be. The more minutes go by, the more I want to see Cell again. I have this _craving_ within me… I need to see him and tell him I'll be eternally grateful. I want to tell him that now I get it. Now I understand everything. I guess I need the potion anyways, but at long last I know why he's been so _pushy_ towards me.

The evening breeze carries the scent of salt from the nearby shore and I feel incredibly blue. My hair floats around me. The colour of the atmosphere is like a sad tinge of orange, which is overwhelmingly dyeing the air around us. Krillin stares at me as I stare seriously into the void. I don't feel like crying, but I definitely feel like kicking an empty can or a stone because I know I can't do a single thing about my situation. And I _desperately_ need to do something. _Anything_!

Just when I start to fear that I'm gonna blame myself until the day I die if something's happened to Cell, I see a small shadow breaking the clouds apart and descending towards us.

"It's him!" I yell happily as I realize he's fine. I'm thrilled to see him and I wave at him. "Cell! Cell, I'm here!"

When he sees I'm smiling broadly at him, he freezes in the air. Krillin giggles and tells me quite playfully:

"I think he's dumbstruck by you, Ivy. I guess he never expected you'd welcome him back like this."

This makes me turn crimson. Right after that, Cell descends and lands in front of us. He's got the potion in his hand, but there are two small bottles. Not _one_. I expected the cure to be _one_ bottle, but…

"Good, Cell. You've got it! I think I should get going." Krillin says swiftly.

"Wait, you're not staying over to see if the potion works?" I ask him.

"I _would_, but this is a two-people thing. I think you know what I mean…"

And having said this, he takes to the sky, but Cell stops him.

"Wait, Krillin! Here…" Cell yells at him slightly worried as he hands one of the flasks to Krillin. "This bottle contains half of the potion. I want you to give this to a girl called Taylor. She suffers from the same type of memory loss. She's blond and has got blue eyes. She's this tall and I think she was staying here with Ivy, but…"

"The last time I saw her she was living by the harbour, close to a little hut in a further extreme of the shore. Over there." I say as I point out the correct direction. Then, I tell Cell: "I didn't know that. Does she suffer the same type of memory loss as me? Really?"

"Yeah, she does." Cell answers sadly.

"OK, I shall go and find her. Don't worry!" Krillin says with a warm smile on his face. "See you later!"

"Sure…" I answer as both Cell and I see how he flies away to the harbour and we lose sight of him. Now that I'm left alone with Cell, I don't know what to say.

"Now…" Cell whispers to me as he gives me the other small bottle.

I sigh and take it from his hand. I can't help but staring into his eyes as if hesitating.

"Krillin has told me tons of things that have happened lately, before I lost my memories." I whisper to him in the meantime. "I know I have to take this, otherwise I shall never be able to remember it all… and it would be a pity, _really_. Because… _I really wanna know what you mean to me_…"

He swallows then and doesn't say a single word. I softly bit my lower lip as I open the small bottle. His penetrating glowing eyes make me think of a child who's expecting to get something he really wants to have. I slightly tilt my head to a side and keep staring at him for a bit longer, warmly smiling at him.

"What has Krillin told you about me to trigger this change of attitude?" He asks whispering softly.

"What has been happening lately. Just that." I answer whispering too. "What you've just been doing for me… I haven't taken the potion and yet I feel… _something_ for you already. And it's not just gratitude."

We fall silent and stare at each other. The sunset is long gone now… I can see the huge impact that these last few words have on him. I think they've hit him as if they were one of Cupid's arrows, because he's blushing as if he's just realized that I'm capable of loving him even though I haven't taken the potion to get my memories back.

I chuckle amused and decide it's time I took the potion already. As I do so, I close my eyes and let the liquid fill my throat. It feels cold like a metallic necklace, ice-cold on the skin of my neck and chest, which makes me shiver, but I enjoy it. All of a sudden, I get snapshots in my mind. All of them deal with my past for as long as I've known Cell. I see him and what he's done for me. I see everything now… I'm able to regain the missing part of myself, I'm whole again. I smile at him.

"I may have been missing my memories, but I think…" I say whispering playfully. "… that you've also been missing _something_, right?"

"What do you mean?" He asks naively.

The grin on my face broadens and I stare at him meaningfully as I take his large hand into mine… and I lead him inside the house.

Tonight's going to be a long night… _A very long and pleasant night_.

* * *

_[Krillin's POV]_

The small hut by the harbour is not really hard to find. I can feel a small 'ki', which I assume it's Taylor's. The sun is about to set and the air is mild. When I spot a blond-haired beauty walking by the shore, I'm quite certain about two things: 1) I've found the girl I was looking for; 2) I've found love at first sight…

I have to swallow hard before I can even dare to come close to her. When I take a couple of steps towards her, I realize that my head feels hot like frying pan. I chance to glimpse my face on the surface of a nearby window: it's red all over! On top of this, I have absolutely no idea about what I should say to her. I'm so nervous that my voice has frozen in my throat. How am I supposed to make her swallow this potion if I cannot talk to her at all?!

Suddenly, Taylor spots me and I get this wild, cold sweat sensation on my back. Her blue eyes are so deep that I feel I can't breathe. I'm starting to feel a bit dizzy…

I can't do this… No, I can't. I'll come back and tell Ivy to do it herself. I just can't…

_God, why can't I do it? Why am I such a fool?!_

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

A whole year goes by.

The guys come back to their original homes and Cell and I have been living together ever since I got my memories back. Taylor visits us from time to time.

A part from this, the guys, Cell and I have been looking for the Dragon Balls for some time now and we've almost finished our mission. It's amazing how Cell has blended into our group of friends. Nobody seems to doubt him anymore and I'm glad about it. And now that we're ready to reconstruct the planet and make the people forget about his identity, I must admit that I'm thrilled and incredibly nervous! It's _finally_ happening!

Oh, and we've never ever heard from Trunks again. I guess he just went back to the future without saying goodbye. I suppose he might have felt guilty for what he had done to me, but when I got my memories back I was hoping to see him again at least one last time. I wanted to forgive him for what he'd done. I'm not usually a forgiver, but I was feeling positive about this. I was hoping I could tell him I no longer care about this, that I'm not mad at him anymore.

Anyway, there's enough going on already. Taylor and Krillin have some sort of connection since they met and Krillin gave her the potion to recover her memories. None of them has told me anything about it, about how it went, but I can see it in their eyes when they look at each other. The curious thing, though, is that whenever I insist on how it was when they first met, both of them turn crimson and they just refuse to speak.

_Hummm_… I wonder what they _actually_ did that evening… And how Krillin managed to make her take the potion.

* * *

Today the sky becomes darker than the typical night's sky. That's because Shernon is summoned to grant us a wish.

Before we make the wish, we know we have to be careful as regards how to phrase it. We need too many things and we definitely do _not_ want to mess it all up (again). We need to ask for everything we need in a single sentence. Anyway, I'm offered the chance to make our wishes heard to Shernon. Don't worry: I've thought about what to say very carefully.

"Dear dragon, we wish that our planet is restored to its original state, as it was right before Cell started to destroy it, including all buildings, all facilities, all living animals, plants, all human beings and other supernatural creatures that might have been killed, and both a) erasing the nasty remembrances of Cell's from their minds; and b) granting him a new, human body… so that we can all live in peace from now on."

"Your wish shall be granted… gladly." Shernon utters with a deep, growling voice. His majestic figure shines in the night sky and suddenly the planet starts to change according to our wish. The buildings are magically rebuilt from scratch, dead plants and animals come back to life, dead people start coming back to their homes unable to remember anything of the chaos and destruction that Cell inflicted upon them and… Cell is granted a human body right before my eyes.

Now he's a gorgeous, well-built, really tall young man with slightly purple eyes and dark, spiky hair.

Once Shernon's spell is fully complete, he disappears and the Dragon Balls spread throughout the whole world again. The sunlight comes back. It's a beautiful morning once again.

"I guess it's high time we came to my home." I tell Cell quite lovingly. I take his hand into mine. "I need to introduce you to my parents, Cell."

"Are you sure about this… I mean…" He says hesitating. "I killed them."

"That… _never_ happened." I say smiling. "It's all forgiven and forgotten now."

He chills out and smiles back at me.

* * *

When we arrive home, my parents are busy doing the stuff that they usually do in a normal day. Since today is Saturday noon, they usually come back home after doing the shopping at the local supermarket. They're in the front garden, carrying some groceries in their arms.

When I see them, I literally run to them and hug them so hard that we fall on the floor and it seems as if I'm making a rugby tackle to both of them. For me it's been a whole year since I last saw them, but for them it's only been a few hours.

"I've missed you so much!" I exclaim.

"Wooohoo, Ivy," My father says a bit amused by my enthusiastic reaction when I hug him. "you must've done something naughty to react like this. What have you done, sweetheart?"

"_Nothing_. I swear." I say smiling at him. "I want you to meet someone, dad."

As I say so, I motion my hands towards Cell.

"This is my boyfriend, Cell." I tell both my parents, who seem thunderstruck by my words.

"A boyfriend?! What a strange name, by the way." My father whispers amazed.

"Nice to meet you, young man." My mother tells him. She's always been the most outspoken and sociable of the family. They shake hands and start chatting for some minutes. I can feel good vibes all the time. This is better than I expected and I smile constantly, imagining how life's going to improve from now on. Nothing can mar this paradise!

Out of the blue, some of my friends happen to walk by my house. Paul is with them and I stare at them as they yell at me from the distance.

"Hey, Ivy!" Ty, a friend of mine, exclaims to me. "Where the hell were you? We've been calling you all morning! Why didn't you answer the phone?!"

He's not mad at me, neither the rest of my friends. It suddenly strikes me that that morning before the destruction of my hometown I had been sleeping in the library and ignoring my friends' calls because I was not in the mood to answer. I was a mess back then. The previous night we had gone out and drunk a lot – and I guess that the hangover I had had that morning had had a huge impact on the fact that I couldn't care less about answering the phone. _Anyway_... Now that I'm here and fine, I should mend this mess. Meanwhile, my parents have come inside the house and putting some stuff in the fridge and cupboards and they start to prepare lunch. My friends, Cell and I are left alone in my front porch and garden.

"Hey, I'm sorry, Ty." I tell him quite in a good mood. "I was busy and I didn't hear it ringing."

This is an utter lie, but I guess I'm not hurting anyone, so it doesn't matter. But then I spot Paul's stern face and I swallow. If I'm not wrong and remember well, we kissed the previous night, but I had drunk too much to remember it clearly. Anyway, it was obviously a mistake that people usually do when they're stoned. Worse things happen anyway: a kiss is quite _harmless_ in that situation.

"We can see that, Ivy." Amanda, a friend of mine, says dryly. But I know that she's not being mean to me. She just likes pretending to be mad at people. "I think we know the reason why." She says playfully, staring at Cell.

I bet Paul's jealous. He's frowning at me. Cell couldn't care less. He's constantly looking at me and ignoring their presence.

"Aren't you going to introduce him to us?" Kaori, also a friend of mine, asks in a good mood. He's always such a charming, agreeable girl…

"Well, of course! Cell, these are Ty, Amanda, Kaori and Paul… Guys, this is Cell, _my boyfriend_."

They all gasp in awe when they hear the past few words.

"Your boyfriend?!" Amanda yells. "_When the hell did this happen_?! I thought you were a rogue who'd never get stuck in a relationship! _OMG_!"

"I guess you were wrong, Amanda." I say smiling.

"I didn't know… but… How long have you two been dating?" Kaori asks enthusiastically.

The question is _tricky_. I have to lie so that Cell's true identity doesn't get exposed.

"We met last… month, but _errr_… We didn't start to fancy each other since yesterday. Yeah…" I blush. I hate myself when I'm inventing such terrible lies, but I guess I have to do it, like it or not.

"_Yesterday_?" Paul asks raising an eyebrow at me. "Was he in the club yesterday?" He doesn't trust me. I can sense it.

"Yeah, he was there, but he…" I say hesitating.

"I didn't stay for long because I saw that she was… _busy_…" Cell luckily breaks in to save me. "… with _you_. I must admit I got jealous and left."

The girls are left in awe at this sudden confession and they start to shriek like squirrels. Both Ty and me are flabbergasted and cannot utter a single word. And yes, I told Cell about who my parents and friends were and what kind of relationship I had with each of them. A whole year waiting for the Dragon Balls to be visible and "trackable" can be slightly boring, so I decided to prepare him and let him know about Paul, specially about that kiss. Cell was never mad at me, on the contrary.

"And you, Ivy, saw him leaving, right?" Amanda says thrilled about this. "That's why you left in a hurry after that and we never saw you until now! _OMG_!"

Yes, shortly after that kiss, I left in a hurry… because I wanted to throw up. I had drunk too much and I went to the ladies' restroom to puke.

"She stopped me, we began talking and…" Cell adds joyfully. "I guess you can imagine the rest of the story, so now, if you excuse us, we have things to do now." He says as he puts his arm around my waist and his hand on my hips.

I can see Paul gritting his teeth and trying to hide the fact that he's cursing Cell. He also clenches his fists. I would've never expected that from him. And God, Cell is really enjoying this contained fit of jealousy on his behalf!

When we come into my house, I congratulate him for being polite and inventive, but I chide him for being rude and deliberately mean to Paul.

"That wasn't necessary at all!" I say angrily. "You know I don't love him. I love you. That's the only thing that matters."

"I know, Ivy." Cell tries to chill me out as he combs my hair with his fingers. He knows I love that. "But I can't bear the way he was hungrily eating you with his eyes. He was being rude to you in doing so. He must know that this prize has already been taken."

"I'm not a prize." I say dryly.

He chuckles and hugs me lovingly.

"Hey, I'm sorry." He whispers to me. "I shall never do that again if you don't want me to. I'll find another way to scare him away."

"Come on, Cell! Really? Isn't the fact that we're together enough to scare him away?" I ask, almost losing my patience. "I bet he'll soon be over it and he'll understand that he has to back off."

"_I'm not so sure about that, luv_." He says seriously and in earnest.

I shut up. Does he really think that Paul is a potential threat to our relationship? I wonder which Paul's true intentions are.

* * *

**Hi there!**

**OK, I have quite a few things to tell you, guys.**

**First of all, I hope this chapter hasn't made you feel dizzy, 'cos I wanted to fit in some stuff to speed up the rhythm.**

**Second, this whole Korin's vase story is inspired by that good old episode in Dragon Ball in which Goku went through one of Korin's vases and found a potion which granted super-strength or something of the sort. I was secretly hoping you'd come to think of it! ;)**

**And good old (quite old) Baba! God, I love her. She's one of my most beloved secondary characters! What about you?**

**Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I still feel sorry for Trunks, because I don't really see him as a potentially evil character, but I needed a ****_deadly attractive_**** guy who could play the part of a villain. Anyway, can I blame him for doing something stupid when he simply was too madly in love?**

**Speaking about love, Krillin and Taylor may have something going on between them… Who knows if this story will continue or not? Muahahaha!**

**Good heavens, I just can't stop listening to Kelly Clarkson's ****_Catch My Breath_****… and I know that part of this chapter (and particularly Cell's behaviour) is getting highly influenced by the lyrics. AND I LOVE IT! :3**

**And last but not least, what do you think Paul is up to? Will he do interfere in Cell and Ivy's relationship?**

**Read and review pleeeeaaaassssseeee! ;)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**

**_PS: I'm sorry to announce that NO ONE has spotted a huge mistake on my behalf when I was writing this story (or at least no one has dared to tell me). I've made an amazingly silly mistake… Re-read the story and you'll find out! But I'm willing to mend it and I have an idea! :3 I have a quest for you, guys: if you find out which is this mistake, you'll get a clue as regards the ending of this story, which will be shortly released after this penultimate chapter._**

**_C U!_**


	17. Chapter 17: The Reading Lie

**Summary:** A girl called Ivy faces the devastation of her hometown caused by Perfect Cell. All her beloved ones are dead. She seeks revenge, although she knows she can't stand a chance. When they meet, Cell is amused and makes a strange proposal to her. Will she take it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGZ, any of its characters or anything related to the series. I'm just writing this for fun. Ivy is only a character I've made up.

* * *

**Previously on ****_IVY'S CELL…_**

"I'm not a prize." I say dryly.

He chuckles and hugs me lovingly.

"Hey, I'm sorry." He whispers to me. "I shall never do that again if you don't want me to. I'll find another way to scare him away."

"Come on, Cell! Really? Isn't the fact that we're together enough to scare him away?" I ask, almost losing my patience. "I bet he'll soon be over it and he'll understand that he has to back off."

"_I'm not so sure about that, luv_." He says seriously and in earnest.

I shut up. Does he really think that Paul is a potential threat to our relationship? I wonder which Paul's true intentions are.

* * *

**Chapter 17: The Reading Lie**

_[Ivy's POV]_

Last week was an emotional whirlwind: the wish, the reconstruction of the planet, Cell's new physical aspect, meeting my parents and my friends again, getting my old life back… That's why I left taking big decisions for today, hoping I could get some privacy so that I could think over important stuff that I want to change in my life. I have my list of priorities in my life from now on:

Take my studies more seriously.

Don't drink so much alcohol.

Take up gymnastics once again and apologise to my coach for being so deliberately absent-minded and fool.

Get a job.

Get a flat or a house and live there with Cell (he's living in Korin's place as if he was a special guest or something, but I don't want Korin to feel pushed or anything. That's why I have to think where we could stay, together…)

and…

**_Persuade Paul to stop messing around and harassing me all the time._**

_Yeah, that's right_. He's been like a spoiled kid who never stops annoying everyone until he gets what he wants. He's suddenly become more gentle and nice to everyone who knows me. _Fakingly nice._ God, I hate him so fucking much! I know he's faking it, because I remember he's usually an uncaring son of a bitch who never wastes his time with polite chit-chat or paying compliments to anyone. Why should he change all of a sudden? Why?

Well, I don't want to sound proud, but I think _I_ am the reason. Or Cell… Somehow I think it would be more obvious if he just tried to beat him up or challenge him, but as days have gone by I've had second thoughts about it. It also seems logical for him to appear more gentle and nice than Cell just to impress me, as if I had yet to realize that his kindness can outmatch Cell's or something. _God_! Why is he so stupid?

Anyway, the thing is I couldn't care less. The less I worry about him, the better. Then he'll realize I don't care a fig and that he should move on. I sigh but I don't feel relieved, because I know that this is going to be harder than it sounds. I have a feeling about this…

Tonight the moon shines brightly in the sky and I feel a bit numb, but I don't know why. I'm making my way towards the park, where Cell and I have agreed to meet. Although we meet every night, I'm still nervous. I've always adored the park nearby my parents' house: it's well designed and very well taken care of. It's very popular for its dark-red roses and opulent, lavish ivies. Some famous writers have admitted coming here to chill out or to get some inspiration. No wonder. The only problem I see to this beautiful garden is that once you're in, you never want to come out of it and back to your old life.

As I cross the entrance, I can smell the scent of those bewitching roses. I close my eyes for a second and I let myself get carried away. This is every gardener's paradise and I can't help but feeling that it's my paradise too, since I'm meeting my beloved here in a couple of minutes. I smile at myself. I'm so happy I could die!

Then, I see him. He's standing by a willow tree. I come closer to him and stare at his face intensely. He freezes. Then, I hold his right cheek, pull myself closer to him and kiss him tenderly on his lips. He hugs me lightly at the beginning, but seeing I do not want to part from him, he hugs me closer and tighter, enjoying the moment.

Out of the blue, he gets tense and his eyes get lost in the midst of the darkness between a cypress and a column made of ancient stones. Then, I realize a very low source of 'ki' springs right from there and I wonder who it might be.

"Paul…" Cell whispers to me enraged. "He's followed you."

Cell starts growling and I can hear a rustling noise coming from that dark, shadowy area.

"Let me take care of this, Cell." I whisper to him.

He looks at me wondering if this is a good idea, but he eventually lets me go. I leave him standing there, constantly staring at me as I come closer to Paul. I just love it when he's protective.

"Paul," I start the conversation. "I know it's you. Stop hiding. Come. We'll talk."

"Come _here_." He answers back dryly.

"No, _you_ come _here_." I insist.

"Not if he's present."

"Come on, Paul…" I say hopelessly.

"Fine!" Cell growls. "So be it. I'll be a few feet away, but I'm not losing sight of you… I swear."

As soon as Cell seems to be gone, Paul does as told and comes out of the darkness, but only because Cell's not there anymore (or so it seems). He can't be seen, but I can sense his 'ki' quite close to us.

"Stop following me, Paul." I chide him. "It's freaky and I hate it."

He doesn't answer and just stares at me intensely. I sigh and clench my teeth.

"All right…" I say as I shrug my shoulders. "As far as I can remember, I only kissed you once and it was no big deal. We just killed some time, didn't we?"

"We're not in the same page, I see."

"That's obvious, Paul. Move on to the next page, in which I'm no longer present, please."

"Why do you want me to move on?!" He asks angrily. "You liked it! You can't deny this! You've changed so suddenly from one day to the next! I can't believe this! How could you possibly fall for that guy?!"

"I don't owe you an explanation. You've never been my boyfriend." I say with cheek, but meaning every single word. And it's _not_ been a major change of attitude from one day to the next, but he cannot know that.

"I'm serious, Ivy."

"Me too, Paul. Stop harassing me."

"I'm not harassing you, I just…"

"You're everywhere I go: the bar, college, the language school, the gym… I can see you spying on me when I'm home, you follow me day and night, you were even lurking in the shadows right now! If that's not harassment, I don't know what it is!" I get angry.

"I don't want to argue with you, Ivy." He says quite calmly, but I can sense his anger deep within. He hates it because I'm right.

We argue. Paul comes closer and closer to me as we shout at each other. He even attempts to kiss me once, but he fails. I push him away from me. Then, he grabs both my arms and snogs me. When it seems that he's gonna devour me, I'm able to break it. Paul makes a wild love statement on his behalf. I try to refuse him, but he doesn't believe me. He just doesn't even _listen_ to me.

"Why can't you believe me?! Are you insane?" I yell at him. I'm trying to push him from me, but it's difficult to get rid of his arms without using my super strength. I could kill him or something…

"You know you love me, Ivy. I know you do!" God, he's desperate.

"I don't. I've moved on! How can you be so _cruel_ to me?" I say appalled, almost crying. "Let me go…"

Suddenly, Paul crushes me in his arms once more. Then, he softly kisses me on the neck, right beneath my right ear. This is making me goose bumps everywhere… My sweet smell invades his nose and it makes him feel like he cannot ever let me go because he crushes me in his arms quite violently. Then, he gets his lips close to my ear and whispers sexily:

"Don't you dare deny that _this_ makes you feel something for me – and it's not _lust_." He makes a pause, but goes on. "I've done lots of things with you. We've shared lots of things and precious moments. Why has this changed so suddenly? Why do you refuse me?"

_I'm sorry, Paul. I don't feel lust, but I don't feel love either. You were a great friend and… something more than that for some time, but… it was nothing compared to what Cell makes me feel. He's the one and I'm sure about it._

Suddenly Cell steals me from Paul's grasp with vehemence. He carries me in his arms and takes me home, back to my room, rushing as if the world was at an end. Paul follows us. Cell locks all doors right after we are already in. Luckily, my parents have gone out tonight and they won't see this messy situation I'm in. Cell rushes to leave me on my bed and then he comes back to the door of my bedroom and barricades it with my wardrobe, a table and two chairs. He even closes my window as if there was a zombie attack or something.

I shake my head and sigh audibly. Honestly, I don't agree. I think he's overreacting.

"Cell, are you serious? This is not necessary." I say trying to chill him out. "It's not as though he's gonna break in and…"

Then, I can hear Paul trying to open my bedroom's door. I shut up immediately and swallow. He yells and swears. He kicks the door also, but it's no use. Cell has made a good barricade to shield me. Then, he turns around to face me and he looks meaningfully to me. I silently admit he was right and just frown a bit. My beautiful hair falls on either side of my shoulders, like a magical dark waterfall, and I comb some locks and put them behind my ear. Honestly, I don't know what to do now.

"Are you angry at me?" Cell asks me worried as Paul is still trying to knock the door down and yelling.

"No, I'm not angry at you." I tell him with a soothing voice and sigh. "I'm just… exhausted, because every single time I try to do things right by talking or anything of the sort, it's no use. _Words don't work on him_… I've tried all week, believe me. And then you have to save me from him, because I'm _unable_ to stop him… I'm so _fucking_ helpless! And I hate it so much! I'm angry at _myself_!" I sigh again.

Cell gets closer, stands in front of me and kisses me wildly. I'm amazed at his sudden reaction, but let him carry on.

_Oh, dear… I'd have him kiss me like that for the rest of my life. My head… goes… numb…_

When we part, I look meaningfully at him wondering if he's got anything to tell me. Then, he just stares at me lovingly, hugs me tenderly and kisses me on my lips with great care.

Meanwhile, Paul is yelling in the corridor. I get distracted due to his yelling.

"Ignore him." Cell whispers to me with a sexy, husky voice.

* * *

_[Cell's POV]_

"Ignore him." I whisper to Ivy with a sexy, husky voice.

_He's a tiny little pest! So bothersome… If I wasn't refraining myself, I'd kick the hell out of him. Luckily for you, Paul, I won't, because if I kicked your ass Ivy would be mad at me, and I don't want that. What I want from her is radically different… You'll see what I mean in a few minutes. Well, better said, you'll _hear_ what I mean…_

I am locking my stare into hers and Ivy doesn't answer in any way at my comment. She just stares at me with her eyes sexily half-closed. We kiss passionately again. She holds both my cheeks with her hands very gently.

"Ivyyyyyyyyyyy!" Paul screams from the corridor.

She ignores him. Then, I gently push her onto her bed, but I never stop kissing her.

Paul does not know what to do now. He's hesitating: should he keep yelling or should he keep knocking the door? Or should he knock the door _down_? Poor guy… He doesn't know we're actually making out right now.

Meanwhile, I pin her down on her bed and grab both her wrists with my hands, although there's no need to. She lets me do this and I smirk at her. I delicately kiss her shoulders, neck, ears, everywhere I can reach. As a response, she moans almost inaudibly. The thing is, by pure chance her moaning can be heard from the corridor at that precise moment because Paul is not yelling or knocking the door right now. I sense Paul freezing when he hears it. He falls silent for some seconds.

I chuckle a bit, but I go on kissing her. Ivy suddenly understands my wicked plan.

"Now I get it." She whispers. "You wanted him to listen to this."

"You got it." I whisper back at her, smirking. "You said it yourself: _words don't work on him_…" I go back to the gentle kissing.

"You're such an evil Machiavellian mind when you want to…" She chuckles a bit too.

Then, I deliberately make her keep up the rhythm, moan a bit louder, and so I bite her ear in a way that I know she adores. And yes, she moans a bit louder, although she tries to refrain herself from doing it. Paul can listen to everything, the louder moaning included. I bet he wants to kill me right now…

Ivy gently moves her arms so as to indicate she'd love to get her hands free again, but I ignore her silent and polite plea. She tries again. I close my grip on her wrists as an answer. She suddenly understands it: I know what she wants, but I won't allow her to move an inch. She does not try again, she surrenders. When she realizes of this, she suddenly must feel too hot and moans a bit louder. I bet she's hot and wet for me already…

* * *

_[Ivy's POV]_

_Why does my poor, female body crave him so badly?! I swear I'd have him push hard into me right now, I'd probably cum,… and we've barely just started making out._

Next, Cell lets his whole well-built body lie on mine. His hips meet mine. I feel great, but pushed a bit too far. I've been breathing unevenly for some time now. When I manage to recover a bit my rationality, I whisper to him:

"Stop it, Cell… I don't want him to listen anymore. Not to _this_." I beg him whispering. "This is only between you and me. I bet he's got the idea already."

He ignores me and carries on with the kissing and biting my most delicate spots. I can't help moaning against my will.

"Your lips say _no_, but your body screams _yes_, Ivy. Who should I listen to, luv?" Cell whispers back at me with that husky tone of voice that I adore. He stares into my eyes with such an intensity that I feel like melting.

Meanwhile, Paul has already lost his mind: he begins to kick the door with all his might again.

"I'm gonna knock this bloody door down!" Paul yells. "And when I do, I'm gonna break your _bloody neck_, Cell!"

Cell smirks. I know, I know… Paul could never break Cell's bloody neck because he's as mighty as a Saiyan, or so…

"Too late to stop this train, Ivy. And I'm taking you with me." Cell whispers to me and snogs me passionately. He's obviously ignoring Paul again. Then, I feel some sort of lightning running down my spine and striking close to my kidneys. My mind goes numb again.

_He's bloody right… I love him, I ache for his touch, so he's not going to stop now. Paul's going to knock the door down sooner or later. If he does, he'll eventually see us making out… or making love. He won't need more words then… I'm sure he'll leave us alone for good, but at what price!_

_Good heavens, why am I so vulnerable when it comes to this?..._

"If you insist on doing this…" I say between gasps. "do it _now_."

Cell has stopped snogging me so that I could speak and raises an eyebrow at me due to my comment.

"Do it now _before I change my mind_!" I urge him.

Cell smiles broadly and proceeds to undress both of us. Meanwhile, Paul is violently trying to break through the door. I really think this whole situation is madness, but I don't really dislike it. In fact, it's accidentally making me feel hotter than usual… _OMG_, and Cell's new body is as gorgeous as his old one! His eyes still have that same deadly purple tinge which makes me shiver…

He swiftly gets rid of my blue low rider jeans and I do the same with my tight T-shirt. We kiss wildly on end… We're starting to sweat, but I don't care, honestly. The rate of my heartbeats is too frenzy. Then, I help him to get rid of this tank top and jeans, but my fingers are a bit too clumsy at the moment and Cell has to help me.

Our kissing has become something more soft but intense, like a really good dream: an ongoing ethereal _something_ that you cannot fully grasp or describe because you're just too busy enjoying it, desperately hoping that this would never end. Until the alarm clock rings and you feel bewitched by what you were able to do and feel… and you feel cursed because you know it's not ever coming back again.

"Hurry. If Paul sees us, I'll regret it." I whisper as Paul is still banging on the door like a madman. Cell smirks back at me, steals a quick look at my throbbing lips and then his eyes rise back to mine with great determination.

"_Don't worry. I'll make it worth it_." He whispers back at me with naught. As soon as he's uttered these few words, he snogs me and I feel hornier than ever.

_Great_. So his plan includes Paul looking at us making love, _like it or not_.

He gets hold of my bare legs and caresses them with the tip of his fingers languidly as I hold both his cheeks. Then, he breaks the kiss and he snakes down the length of my body until he sits up on my bed and starts to sweetly kiss my naked legs, bit by insufferably-slow bit. Each kiss sends literal shots of pleasure to my brain, but it's not until he reaches my inner thighs that I realize that I've never come across anything like it before. His hungry eyes feel like a cliff… if I look down, I'm lost.

He slides his right hand beneath my cunt so that he can play with my wet folds with his fingers. I moan hopelessly due to the sweet contact. He loves it. My nipples are pinning up and he realizes of it. That's why he decides to get rid of all my underwear at once. My breasts are awesome (or so he says!). He kisses and licks them. I moan when his tongue plays naughty tricks on them. He chuckles as soon as I slightly arch my back to meet him in a hopeless attempt to tell him I can't wait any longer… He kisses me passionately again on the lips. He kisses me in the same violent way as before and makes my legs part… and he starts to penetrate me. He starts very slowly to take me, but soon enough he speeds up the rhythm. _Gladly_…

"Tell me you love me." He whispers to me after a few minutes of just gasping, panting and moaning.

"I love you." I whisper without strength.

He pushes harder into me because he feels like it.

"I love you, Ceeeeell…!" I finally exclaim, moaning.

"I love you, Ivy, I love you, love you, love you… Oh!" He whispers back, pushing harder into me. His wild thrusts meet mine in a hopeless, frantic frenzy. Both of us cum shortly after this.

"If I'm pregnant, I'll kill you." I whisper before we part.

Before I can even realize of it, I see Paul standing in front of us, frozen like the huge iceberg which hit the Titanic. The lack of privacy suddenly makes my cheeks blush wildly and I hide myself behind Cell's body. I feel so embarrassed right now… Cell is staring at him defiantly. In spite of this initial reaction on my behalf, I suddenly realize that he must've been there for some time and I wonder when I stopped caring about my surroundings so blatantly during sex that I haven't even detected his presence here.

As soon as I raise my eyes to meet him, he's gone. _Thank God_…

We're finally left alone, for good. _Good_. Cell is embracing me from behind with both his arms, on my bed. I cover his arms with mine, his lips are close to my left ear and both our faces have a calm and peaceful countenance.

We are sleeping peacefully a few minutes later.

* * *

Days go by and I haven't heard anything from Paul. I haven't seen him since that night he saw Cell and me making out and…

_Anyway, he's probably drinking his pains away._

I'm at home this early afternoon. I just came from college to get my mail and some stuff. The sun is shining through the huge window of my living room and the sofa seems the _coziest_ place in the whole world right now. So I let my body fall on it and I just couldn't be happier.

I have this huge pile of unopened mails which I really need to go through, so… _Oops_. Now I've just realized something: this _really_ looks like a… (I open the envelope as swiftly as I can, although it seems like a _crime_ because the paper must've cost a fortune itself… this is really good stuff!)… **_a wedding invitation_**! _OMG: it's Krillin and Taylor's wedding invitation_! I knew it!

But I don't have much time left to be stupidly thrilled about it: in a few seconds Cell's gonna knock my door (I can sense his 'ki' coming home) and I'm not sure about his reaction to this. It's not an invitation for me, it's for _both_ of us. He'll frown. He'll growl, I imagine. He's not a big fan of parties… But I'm sure he'll eventually love it (he won't display it openly, that's for sure, but anyway…). _God! I'm sooo nervous about this!_

As soon as I let him in, I show him the invitation. I've been teaching him to read and write as I promised him a long time ago.

"It's practice time!" I say frantically and playfully. "What does it say here?"

"It says…" He frowns hard, trying to decipher those signs on the paper and make sense of them. I raise an eyebrow in the meantime. It takes a while, but I can see his eyes slowly run over the sheet of paper. "… that this is a monumental waste of time." He says bored.

"You really _do_ know what it says here. I knew you'd take it this way." I say hopelessly and I sigh, crossing my arms over my chest. "Come on! It's just a… _party_."

He doesn't answer. He just sits on the sofa and does not dare to look at me. As I sit by his side, I check on him and I smile.

"Why are you smiling at me?" He asks me.

"Because I know that in a few seconds' time, you'll be _begging_ me to go." I say happily.

"Yeah, whatever." He answers with pride and chuckles as if he was mocking me.

"You know, I'll be wearing a… really cute, sexy dress…" I say as if it wasn't anything important. "And we can always sneak out whenever we want and… make out in the bathroom. Or the garden. Or anywhere, basically… A wedding celebration is a great occasion for _this _sort of things… _you know_." I say more naughtily.

Now I've got his full attention on me, including his usually imposing stare which now seems to be stuck by my last few words. I know his mind is running wild up there…

"I know you don't care about this,…" I say fanning the invitation in front of him. "but I can _bribe_ you… with sex."

He chuckles and smiles. Suddenly he's not so tense. I like that, it makes me giggle a bit.

"I really enjoy your bribing, luv." He says with a naughty smile.

"Oh, me too…" I say with a playful smirk on my face.

We fall silent for some time, but it's not uncomfortable. I really love spending some time in complete silence with him.

"Oh, errr… By the way," I say cheerfully. "how's your reading going? Have you been doing the homework I gave you?"

"Sure."

"I'm still amazed."

"By what?"

"You told me you didn't know how to read." I make a very small pause. "At that time I had no faith in you yet, but you shared this bit of personal information with me."

"Yeah… I suppose you…" I can sense the hesitation in his voice and it makes me worry a bit.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just remembered the day I brought you home with me. It's somehow similar…" His voice saddens. "I gave you all those journals and the adoption file with the photograph."

"Yeah, I know."

"I guess you didn't trust me that day either."

"But I didn't have to trust you. I _had to_ face the evidence in front of me." I say trying to sound convincing. "I should've known. It was about who I am."

"I could've forged those documents. Or lied to you."

"You _couldn't_. You couldn't read or write." I say and I chuckle.

"But I could've _forced_ someone to do it for me." He says raising an eyebrow at me, but he's not having fun with this.

"Why are you saying this now? _Did you_…?" I whisper, hoping that those documents were not a forgery. Ironically, in those good old days I had hoped them to be falsifications, but they weren't. I know they weren't. Now I'm desperately clinging to the notion that Cell has always been honest with me. He could've been a dick, a pain in the ass, a bad guy, a git, a bossy captor,… but not a _liar_.

"No, the documents are real. They're not falsifications." He says sadly… as if angry at himself.

"Then, what's wrong? Why are you…?" I ask worried. "Why do you look like you've killed someone in relation with those documents?"

"Because I _did_. You know how I was back then."

"If those documents are not forgeries, then why the hell are you so…?"

"_Because I feel bad about lying to you_…" He whispers genuinely worried this time. "I want to apologise."

"What?"

"That day in which I locked you in and gave you those files, I told you I _had read_ those documents, but I didn't."

"That's not… so _deadly serious_. I think I can get over it." I try to sound funny, but his stern expression does not fade from his face.

"I forced a clerk to read it to me. I threatened him I would kill him." He makes a small pause and then he proceeds. "That's how I knew what they said about you… But then I killed him anyways because I felt like it."

I have no words after this revelation.

"You've never thought about this, have you?" He asks. "I mean, after I told you I couldn't actually read or write that night, you never noticed this _incoherence_."

"No. My mind was too busy trying to fight you back. I had so much stuff to worry about that I never actually realized about this…" I say sincerely, but I'm not mad, which strikes him as odd.

"You don't seem angry at me." He points out slightly afraid like a child.

"Why should I be?" I say calmly and lovingly. "I mean, you were brutal and deadly back then. You couldn't care less about someone else's life. But now, everything's sorted out. We managed to rebuild the Earth and everyone who was dead came back to life… And you're the most lovable mate I could ever find in the entire universe… Why would I be mad at you? You already apologized to me back then, when you decided to change."

He falls silent for some seconds and he stares at me intensely.

"I guess I can't believe you're actually here, by my side." He says warmly smiling at me.

"Well, you should, luv." I say smiling back at him and I hug him. He hugs me back. "You definitely _should_."

_THE END!_

* * *

**Hi there!**

**This is the end! SO… did you enjoy it? :)**

**This is my longest story EVER! OMG… I'M STILL FREAKING OUT: ca. 200 pages in my Word file!**

**Anyway, I'm taking a break from writing DGZ fanfiction for a some time now. I have two other stories in fanfiction I want to finish and also a story of my own creation in progress. I really need to concentrate on those before I move on to something else… So I guess I'll see you around the site sooner or later!**

**I really hope you enjoyed the story. And the smut too. ****_Specially_**** the smut. Let's face it: I read and write fanfiction 'cos of the smut in it. I'm not gonna lie. ;)**

**Anyway… I love you, dear readers! C U soon!**

**Read and review! ;)**

**Luv,**

**Denim Jean**


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